Silent Fear
by FaithinBones
Summary: Sometimes it's easier to let our fears remain unspoken and sometimes we find someone we can trust that will listen to our fears and not judge them.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: this story starts shortly after Booth is rescued from the Republican Guard and was sent back to the United States from Iraq. This story will enter the 'Bones' timeline in chapter 3. I need to set up a few things first. Keep in mind the rating for this story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The flash of light and the rattle of the window announced another stroke of lightning nearby followed by the rumble of thunder as it faded away into the distance. The rain continued to lash at the window and soon another flash of lightning and the resulting rumble erupted in the night which also faded away into the distance. Booth liked soft gentle rain, but he'd always hated stormy weather accompanied by lightning and thunder, especially after sunset. For some reason he didn't quite understand, the sound of thunder reminded him of his father's screams of rage and the pain that seemed to always follow those horrific outbursts.

Perhaps it was because the last day he had ever seen his mother was the day she was hurt so badly by her husband that she had to be taken to a hospital and that bedlam was played out during a very intense stormy night. Her screams of terror and pain mixed in with the raging shouts from his father and the booming thunder outside mixed themselves in such a way that he associated the horror of losing his mother from his life with bad storms. He had taken psychology his first year in college and it kind of made sense and yet he thought it was possible he was just fucked up. Anything was possible.

Once more a flash of lightening lit the window next to his bed and was quickly followed by the deep rumble of thunder. It was embarrassing, he hated how he felt as he fought not to show any fear. He was a soldier for God's sake, a veteran and yet he wasn't that far from childhood.

Twenty years old and he'd been through so much. He'd joined the Army after he'd lost his scholarship due to a game ending injury in college and it took almost two years of working odd jobs before he'd finally decided to join the Army because that was what his family did. Twenty years old almost twenty-one and here he was, in a hospital, his feet broken, his right leg broken, rib fractures, contusions and cuts and a feeling of helplessness that he hadn't felt since he was a child living in his father's house of horror.

Once more booming thunder resonated through the room and Booth gasped as he shifted his body causing pain to lance up from his feet through his legs to his hips. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he raked his hands through his hair trying to control his fear and the pain. It had been a long time since he had reacted to lightning and thunder like this and it made him angry since he had thought he had defeated that old fear a long time ago.

His grandfather had bought him a book on Earth science when he had moved in with him and he had eagerly read the entire book. He'd read about weather and how lightning and thunder were formed. He'd used that knowledge to tamp down his fears during violent storms and the longer he lived with his grandfather the less fear he felt about the inevitable storms that came and went. He had been proud that he had defeated such a ridiculous fear and yet here he was, lying in bed afraid of a light show with sound. It was humiliating.

"You okay?" The question came from the bed next to the door. Private Morris Harris had heard Booth gasp and then groan in obvious pain. It worried him that the man across the room from him rarely asked for help and chose to suffer in silence. It wasn't natural and Harris tried to keep an eye on the private. "Want me to ring the nurse?"

"No." His answer was curt and spoken through clenched teeth. The waves of pain rippling up his legs were terrible and he needed to concentrate to keep from crying out. _Never show fear. It just makes the situation worse._ As he held still, the pain started to lessen as the storm did outside.

Alert to the heavy breathing across the room, Harris knew that Booth was in a lot of pain and there was no reason for him to stay like that. Pushing the button to call for the nurse, Harris responded when the nurse came on the loudspeaker. "Please come as soon as you can."

The nurse arrived quickly and as she entered the room, she turned on the overhead light and noticed Harris point at Booth. Concerned she moved closer towards the young man's bed and noticed the closed eyes, the sweat beading on his forehead and cheeks. She had been warned that it was possible that Booth might be suffering from PTSD and that they would have to monitor him closely. His body was rigid and his fists were by his side which told her that he was in pain. "Private Booth are you in pain?"

Opening his eyes, Booth gave her a small nod, reluctant to admit he needed help. He watched as she left the room and quickly return with an injection to help ease his pain.

"This will definitely help." As she placed the needle in the tube leading from one of the bags running to his arm, she tried to assure him. "The pain should quiet a little in a few minutes . . . Private Booth, you really need to let us know before it gets this bad. You need to stay ahead of the pain. If you fall behind and get into this state, it can affect your recovery . . . You're recovering from two surgeries, one to your feet and one to your right leg. You're going to be in pain, but we can help you with that."

The pain was receding and Booth felt slightly better. At least his feet didn't feel like they were going to explode. "Thank you."

She patted his arm and gave him a warm smile. "You're welcome . . . would you like something to drink?"

Booth nodded his head and Nurse Pat handed him a glass filled with cool water. The storm was finally receding and the light show outside his window was finally fading away. "Thanks."

"You're welcome again." Once the glass was empty, she checked the tubes and the catheter and left the room turning off the light as she closed the door behind her.

Harris squinted at his roommate and shook his head. "You're a pain in the ass."

Drowsy, Booth closed his eyes and muttered. "Fuck you."

Amused, Harris grinned and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. "You've got balls I'll say that. I can get out of this bed and come over there and beat the shit out of you and you couldn't stop me."

"Try it Sport." Booth felt detached from his feet and legs and found the situation to be rather odd. "I've still got two arms and hands. I'll give as good as I get."

Chuckling, Harris opened his eyes and stared at the dark shape in the bed across the room. "Good to know."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

His days were filled with pain. He tried to hold out as long as possible before he asked for help which annoyed his roommate, the nurses and his physician. "Private Booth, pain management is important. It will speed your recovery if you aren't battling pain by yourself. You've had some serious injuries and we've done the best we can with those injuries, but like I told you a few days ago, you will need more surgeries if you hope to walk again. I need you to help us help you."

"I don't want to get addicted to pain medicine." Booth knew of a couple people back home that were addicted to pain medicine and they doctor shopped to get their fix. The drugs Dr. Anderson was using to help manage his pain seemed pretty powerful and that worried him.

He had seen it many times and Dr. Anderson always tried to make his patients understand their predicament. "You are in intense pain. The medicine I prescribe can help you, but you have to use it. I'll make sure you don't become addicted. You have to trust me to help you."

Booth trusted few men, but he knew that if he wanted to walk again he did need the help of the man standing next to him. "I want to trust you . . . I'll trust you."

Dr. Anderson patted Booth's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you. We'll get you out of this bed as soon as possible."

"God I hope so." Booth sighed. "I want to walk. I need to walk."

Anderson patted his shoulder once more and left the room.

After they were alone, Harris turned his head to look at his roommate. "Want to play cards or dominoes?"

Grateful for a diversion, Booth nodded his head. "Yeah, either . . . thanks."

After he successfully got out of bed, Harris found the piece of cardboard they used as a table, placed it across Booth's lap and handed him the deck of cards to shuffle. It was hard to deal cards since his right arm was immobilized because of his broken clavicle.

As he shuffled the deck of cards, Booth shook his head and stared at his roommate's injury. "You know you shouldn't make threats that you can't follow through with. Threatening to beat me up when you can only use one arm is kind of dumb."

"Ha, I only need one arm." Harris watched the cards as Booth dealt them. "You can't get out of that bed which gives me the advantage."

A spasm of pain ran up his legs causing Booth to become momentarily rigid. Once the pain passed he placed the deck of cards down on the cardboard table. "Like I said I have two good arms and two good hands, so your advantage is bullshit."

Harris noticed he had a great start in his hand and tried not to smile. "Well since I like you, we'll never know."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(Before 'The Pilot')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

He was asleep when his grandfather walked into the room. Hank paused just inside the doorway and fought to keep his emotions in check. His grandson had been held as a prisoner of war for several days and during that time the boy had been grossly abused. Once he was rescued, Seeley had been evacuated from Iraq to Germany and stabilized. From there he was sent back to the States and he had undergone several surgeries to begin to fix what had been done to him by his torturers.

Hank had been notified that his grandson had been rescued and once Seeley was brought to Walter Reed, he made arrangements for someone to take care of his grandson Jared, so he could be with his oldest grandson. "Seeley."

Booth opened his eyes and turned his head to see his grandfather in the room. "Pops. You didn't have to come."

"Of course I had to come." Hank walked across the room and stood next to the bed. His hand gently rested on his grandson's head and although he knew that his boy thought he might be too old for open displays of affection, the old man kissed Seeley's cheek. "I was worried about you. I had to make sure you're alright."

Grateful that his grandfather was there, Booth sighed. "I messed up. I got captured and I messed up."

Hank patted the young man's shoulder and shook his head. "You may have messed up, but they had no right to do what they did to you . . . I would have come sooner, but I had to get your Aunt Ruth to come and stay at the house so Jared wouldn't be alone. He can't afford to miss any school right now. This is his senior year and he's got some scholarships riding on his good grades. Ruth's partner Franny said that she could take care of their business for a while, so I can stay for a week or two."

"Thanks Pops." Booth noticed his roommate enter the room and smiled. "That little guy that just came in is my roommate, Morris Harris."

"Little?" Hank turned and offered a hand to the tall stranger no one in their right mind would consider little. "I'm Hank Booth, Seeley's grandfather."

Harris placed two bags of chips and two cans of cokes on his bed and shook Hank's hand with his free hand. "Nice to meet you Sir. My nickname is Tiny, but Booth there thinks it's funny to call me little instead. What can you do?" Picking up one of the bags of chips and a Coke, Harris carried them over to Booth and dumped them in his lap. "They were out of cookies, so we're eating chips."

Disappointed, Booth picked up the bag and stared at it. "Salt and Vinegar? Really?"

Chuckling, Harris walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "I like' em." Hank noticed that Harris was struggling to open the can of Coke and opened it for him. The older man then opened the bag of chips and placed it on the bed. "Too much salt is bad for you."

Amused, Harris looked down at his restrained arm and then back at Hank. "Yeah, I guess so."

Once he made sure his grandson had his bag of chips open and the coke can open, Hank sat down on the chair near Booth. "Your surgeon called me and he told me you have more surgery coming up. He thinks you're going to walk again."

"Yeah, that's what he says." Booth hoped that was true. "He said I'll probably have problems down the road, but hurting feet is better than no feet." Booth took a sip of his drink. "I guess it could be worse."

"Oh it could always be worse." Harris sipped some of his Coke and sighed. "The doctor says I'll be able to move my arm when I'm out of the cast, but my clavicle was broken pretty badly when I got hit. The bullet went right through me. I guess I'll be able to forecast the weather in the future."

Hank listened to his grandson and his roommate talk and he knew that they would be alright. They were hurt, but they were recovering. He had been so worried when his grandson had been reported MIA and when he'd been called four days later and told Seeley had been found and taken to Germany, he knew that his boy had been hurt. He knew that Seeley would have a lot of pain to get through before it was all done, but he would recover. He prayed that he would.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next surgery was complete and Booth was optimistic. His surgeon had been pleased with the outcome and assured Booth that once his casts were off of his feet and he started therapy he would be on the way to recovery. Hank had stayed for a few days after the surgery and once he was sure his grandson was on the mend, he returned home. He would have liked to have stayed longer, but Ruth had to go back to work and Booth understood that.

"At least you had a visitor." Harris stared at the ceiling and thought about his own situation. Orphaned when he was young, he had been raised by an Uncle who had passed away just before Harris had enlisted in the Army. "Your grandfather is a nice guy."

"Yeah, he is." Booth sipped from a glass of water and stared at the game on television. "He raised me and my little brother. I was nine and Jared was five when he took us in. We were really lucky we didn't end up in foster care . . . My Aunt Ruth probably would have taken us in. I don't know. She didn't know about what was going on until after Pops took us in."

"What was going on?" Harris sat up and stared at Booth. "You made that sound ominous."

Not sure why he had even mentioned it, Booth blushed. "Um . . . my Dad was raising my brother and me by himself and um . . ." He didn't want to continue. It was humiliating to talk about his father as far as he was concerned.

Harris knew that his roommate was embarrassed about something and chose to let him off the hook. "My parents died when I was eleven in a car wreck . . . My Uncle Dan took me in, but he was in bad health. He died right after I graduated from high school. He was a great guy . . . I miss him."

Booth knew he was lucky to still have his grandfather in his life. "Pops was a cop in Philadelphia. He retired last year. His father was a cop too. I might do that when I get out of the army. I'm not sure yet. I'd like to be in law enforcement. Do some good, help people."

Surprised, Harris smiled at his roommate. "Hey me too, but I want to join the FBI. I'm taking classes at Universities when I can. I need a bachelor's degree and it's going to be in Criminology. You should think about getting your degree. You might be able to get into the FBI or maybe the ATF. If you still want to be a cop for Philadelphia, I bet a degree would move you right up the chain of command."

He hadn't considered going back to college, but Harris had a point. "Maybe I'll look into it. Thanks."

"Not a problem." Harris thought Booth was a bright guy and he had a bright future ahead of him if he just set some goals now.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Booth watched Harris place some of his clothes in a bag and felt sorry to see his friend go. "You're a pain in the ass, but I guess I'm going to miss you."

"Me a pain in the ass?" Harris dropped his bag on top of his bed and turned to face his roommate. "You're the pain in the ass . . . still yeah . . . you have my APO address, write me sometime."

"I will." Booth stared at his cast covered feet. Therapy was starting soon and he was afraid of what might not happen. "Hey, I'll look you up sometimes, maybe call you and make sure you're staying out of trouble."

Harris nodded his head and grabbed his bag as the nurse came in with a wheelchair to take him away. "I have your grandfather's phone number and I'll call him once in a while to check up on him and you . . . Good luck."

"Thanks." Booth watched his friend leave and hoped that it wasn't a permanent goodbye. He didn't have a lot of friends, but Harris was kind of different. He was easy to talk to and he didn't ask a lot of nosy questions. Booth considered that the mark of a good friend.

Oooooooooooooooo

His new roommate had been badly hurt with an IED and was in a lot of pain. Once Booth was out of his casts and in therapy he tried not to be in the room too much. He worked hard and once he was walking he was determined to keep walking. He didn't care how much pain he was in, he was going to make sure he trained properly to take care of his body and his feet. He had a job to do and he was going to do it.

He did remember Harris' suggestion about college and once he was free of the hospital and back with his unit, Booth checked into college courses and FBI requirements. If he was going to be in law enforcement, why not get in on the national level? It didn't necessarily have to be with the FBI, but being a Federal Agent of some kind might have a bigger impact. He wanted to make his grandfather proud of him and he was determined to succeed.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(Before 'The Pilot')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

As soon as he had his degree in Criminology, Booth planned to get out of the service. He'd had enough of killing. His skills as one of the best snipers in the Rangers put him in high demand. He had been borrowed by the CIA several times during his career and his kills and those missions had worried Booth enough that he had sought out the help of his priest, Aldo Clemens. He had asked for forgiveness more times than he cared to think about. Those missions and the body counts were starting to mount up. He was damn proud of his job and he knew he was making a difference taking out mass murderers and war lords, but enough was enough. He wanted to do something else.

After he graduated with his bachelor degree, his commanding officer had tried to talk him into staying in the Army with a promise of a promotion to E9 in the near future, but Booth knew it was time to get out while he still could. He was afraid that he might have already done too much damage to his soul. Deep down, he was afraid he was no longer a good man and that God might reject him when his last breath was drawn on Earth. He needed to do something about that and he thought he knew what that might be, but it all depended upon whether or not he could get into the FBI.

He supposed the news of him leaving the service had been news to some people in certain circles and he soon found out that the CIA was interested in him. A former Ranger he had worked with came by to try to recruit him. Danny Beck found Booth in the base library, reading. "Booth . . . not exactly where I expected to find you."

Surprised to see Danny, Booth closed his book and leaned back against his chair. "I have my Bachelor degree, but I've decided to take some more courses . . . what are you doing here?"

Making himself comfortable, Danny sat down across from Booth and leaned on the table in front of him. "I hear you're leaving the Army."

"Yeah." Booth was wondering why Danny was so interested in that particular bit of news. "In three months."

Danny knew that Booth was a good man, a patriot and the CIA needed men like him. His company wanted Booth to sign up with the CIA when he left the army. "Any idea what you're going to do next?"

It dawned on Booth that Danny was there to recruit him. "Yeah, I'm going to try to qualify for the FBI. If they aren't interested I might try the ATF or Homeland security."

"The FBI?" Danny thought that was a terrible idea. "You'd be bored working for those guys. Why not come to work for the CIA?"

"I have worked for the CIA and I don't think that's the direction I want to take." He knew he didn't want to work for the CIA, but he was trying to be friendly. "My girl is pregnant and we're expecting a son. The boy is going to need a father. I want to be part of his life and I can't do it being deployed around the world. His mother lives in the Washington D.C. area and I need a job there."

He could see Booth's point, but he thought the man could be a great benefit to the agency. "You could work for the CIA in D.C. We're not all spies you know."

"Oh, I know believe me." Booth had done several jobs for the CIA that no one could talk about including killing an American Citizen by the name of Daniel Johnson in Pakistan. The man had been considered a danger to his country and there had been no legal way the United States government could extradite him back to the United States. Those assignments were buried at the Pentagon and few knew about them. He didn't want to be involved in any more assignments like that. "I can't do it Danny. I want to work for the FBI. I have a degree in criminology and I want to use that degree. I think I'd make a damn good criminal investigator."

Booth seemed determined to join the FBI and Danny knew there was no way he would be able to change Booth's mind. "Fair enough . . . if it doesn't work out for you my offer still stands."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." And he did, but if he couldn't work for the Feds then his next move would be to try Metro Police in Washington D.C. He really wanted a job near his boy.

"Sure." Danny stood up and glanced around. "You know you hide that brain of yours pretty well. I knew you were smarter that you let on."

Booth knew that a lot of people underestimated him. Too bad for them.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He ran into Morris Harris when he arrived at Quantico. Both hadn't been surprised to see each other at the Academy and they appreciated having a friend there. "Booth, it's great to see you man." Harris had kept in contact with Booth and Hank over the years and had even met with them both a few times between deployments. Hank Booth had invited Harris to his home for vacations and Harris had accept the offer with gratitude. Since he had no family of his own, he appreciated the way the Booth family accepted him into their family. "I saw Hank a month ago. I was over at the house for two days. He's looking as good as ever."

"Yeah, I stayed with Pops last week." Booth had worried that his grandfather seemed to be slowing down, but his health was still good for which Booth was thankful for. "He told me you replaced the water heater. Thanks."

"Not a problem." Harris knew the next few weeks were going to be critical for both of their careers. "Well, let's make the guy proud and graduate in the top of our class."

"I'll be the top of my class. You can eat my dust." Booth needed the competition and he hoped that Harris would force him to push himself to the top of the class. He had a lot to prove, mostly to himself. He needed to prove that he was more than a sniper. He planned to be the top investigator in the FBI and someday, if he was good enough, he might work his way up to Deputy Director if not the Director of the FBI. He knew he had it in him to get there, but competition would force him to work harder.

Amused, Harris slapped Booth in the back. "You keep telling yourself that while you chase me. Just don't choke on my dust."

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To no one's surprise, Booth graduated at the top of his class and Harris was third. Booth was assigned to the Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch, Criminal Investigative Division. He answered to Special Agent in Charge Mickey Santana. At first, he was assigned a mentor, Special Agent Sam Riley, but after a few months, it was clear to Santana and Deputy Director Cullen that Booth wasn't really a team player and did better work on his own. As long as Booth produced positive results in the investigations he was assigned to then Santana wouldn't interfere with Booth's methods.

After a while, it was obvious that Booth was good at getting results on cold cases and he was assigned a few to work on between active investigations. Booth was tenacious and his 'gut' helped him to close cases that had languished in the FBI for years. The agent relished the victories and agonized over cases that were almost impossible to close.

One of the cases he had been given was the Gemma Arrington case. She had disappeared in 2001 and her body had been found in a landfill a year later. Booth had worked the case and the evidence had pointed towards Judge Myles Hasty, but it was all circumstantial evidence. Federal Prosecutor Caroline Julian wasn't about to go after a federal judge unless the case was air tight and Booth couldn't give her that.

A former lover of his, Cam Saroyan happened to be at the Hoover one evening and she recommended he get help from a forensic anthropologist. Temperance Brennan was considered to be the best in the country and if his 'gut' wasn't doing the job then she might help. Booth was reluctant to bring in a squint to help him, but he was getting desperate. He felt that if he didn't solve the case soon, Judge Hasty was going to get away with murder and Gemma was never going to get the justice she deserved. If he couldn't do it on his own, then he would get the help he needed. The Arrington family deserved closure.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Much to Booth's surprise, Brennan had been exactly the help he needed. She was brilliant and she was beautiful and Booth had felt like a hammer had hit him the first time he had met her. He had never met anyone like her and he was both drawn to her and irritated with her at the same time. She knew her business and eventually she found the clues he needed to prove that the Judge was guilty, but she was also strong, independent, opinionated and quirky and those qualities caused a lot of friction between them.

During the case they had kissed and Booth had wanted more, but Brennan didn't and Booth didn't understand why. She seemed impervious to his charm which he found unusual. Most women found his good looks and his charm to be more than enough to give him at least a chance, but not Dr. Temperance Brennan and Booth didn't understand what he had done wrong. The kiss made them both uncomfortable and just as their case was proven, their anger at each other caused Booth to pull her from a room which resulted in Brennan slapping him. Booth thought their partnership was over and so did Brennan.

Harris wasn't so sure. "If you don't like her, why do you talk about her all the time?" He could see that Booth was infatuated with the anthropologist even if Booth wouldn't admit it. "Let it go."

"I don't want to let it go." Booth sipped his beer and glumly looked around the room. Not seeing anyone else that he knew he turned his attention back to his friend. "She helped me get Judge Hasty. That bastard killed Gemma Arrington and he thought he was going to walk away from that. I knew he'd done it. I knew it, but it was Bones that gave me the evidence I needed. I want to work with her again."

Amused, Harris sipped some of his beer and held the bottle in his hands. "And you like her."

"She drives me crazy." Booth thought about the scientist and frowned. "As far as she's concerned she's never wrong. She's an authority on everything and she thinks I'm as dumb as a box of rocks."

"And you like her." Harris saw the signs. His friend might not be in love with Temperance Brennan, but he sure had the hots for her. "Call her and see if she'll work with you again."

He wanted to, but that slap Brennan had landed on his face had been a final good-bye as far as Booth could tell. "She hates me and she said she'd never work with me again . . . I tried to call her and apologize, one of us has to, but her calls are being screened by some squint that works for her. She won't talk to me let alone work with me."

Harris could see the sadness in his friend and he wished he could help. "Keep calling. Maybe you'll get through. If that doesn't work, go see her. You and she made a great team. Believe me, people upstairs noticed. If you can get her to work with you, you could probably work more magic and that could lead to more promotions. She could be good for your career."

Booth wanted to work with Brennan again and not just because she would be good for his career. He was fascinated with her. He had never met anyone like her and he wanted to be her partner and maybe her friend. If only he could get her to talk to him again.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Is this interesting?


	4. Chapter 4

("Pilot")

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

"Booth for God's sake, find a way to talk to her." Harris was tired of hearing about Temperance 'Bones' Brennan. She was all Booth wanted to talk about and it was driving him nuts. "You're smart. You have connections. Use them."

His tongue pressed against the inside of his mouth, Booth thought about it. "I do have some friends at Homeland Security. The last time I checked Bones is out of the country, but she has to come back sooner or later . . . I think I have an idea . . . maybe."

"Good." Harris stood up and stretched. "The Koffman case is done. That just leaves the Cleo Eller case for now. It's a pretty cold case. Maybe too cold."

"No, I've worked on colder cases." Booth wasn't about to give up on this one. "If we could just find the body, we could get further into the case, but she disappeared April 2003 and no one has seen her since. Whoever killed her did a good job hiding the body."

Harris shook his head. "Maybe she isn't dead. Maybe she just ran away. She got tired of the attention from the press and the public and she just left."

"Bull." Booth's gut told him she was dead. "She was having an affair with Senator Allan Bethlehem who is a married man. He needed to get rid of her before someone proved they'd been having an affair. He wants to be president some day."

Afraid Booth was saying too much, Harris shook his head. "That's never been proven, Booth, so don't go around saying that shit too loud. I know you were secondary in the investigation of her disappearance, but you know you could never prove that Cleo had had an affair with the Senator."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Except she disappeared right after the press started suggesting she and the senator were doing the nasty . . . He killed her, but I can't prove it." He was afraid he just wasn't good enough. He had followed every lead. He'd talked to hundreds of people and so far, he hadn't found Cleo or her body. He refused to let the case die. "I need help. I need Bones. She helped me prove Judge Hasty killed Gemma Arrington and she can help me prove Senator Bethlehem is a murderer." He was hoping the good doctor could help him again, but first he needed a body and second he needed Brennan to talk to him.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Harris had been right. All Booth had to do was force the issue. Once he found out when Brennan was returning from Guatemala, he'd talked to Agent Bennett Gibson and the DHS Agent had agreed to hold her until he could get to the airport.

As luck would have it, a body had been found in Arlington National Cemetery the day that Dr. Brennan was due back from her dig. After his FBI squints had taken a quick look, he had called the Jeffersonian and talked to Dr. Goodman. Booth had used his charm on the archeologist and managed to get Brennan and her squints loaned to him to work with the body that had been found in the pond. Of course, he still needed to talk to Brennan to get her to cooperate and that was going to be a big hurdle, but he was confident his plan would work. He really didn't have anything to lose.

She arrived at the airport and Bennett had done his job finding a way to hold Brennan. Booth had hurried to the airport and was soon in an interview room staring at the unique anthropologist that haunted his dreams. As expected, she was not happy to see him and it didn't take her long to figure out that he had set her up to stage a fake rescue. She was brilliant and he had known she'd figure it out, but he had his foot in the door and he wasn't going to step away.

He had been surprised that she had agreed to get into his SUV, but he soon found that she was still angry with him and the stunt he had pulled to get her to talk to him had just made her angrier. After a lot of arguing and threats on her part, she had agreed to work with him much to his relief. Cleo might get justice after all.

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Brennan had been surprised to see Booth at the airport, but once the DHS agent had allowed her to leave, she had quickly figured out what was going on and that just made her angrier with the FBI Agent. He was still trying to control her and no one was allowed to do that.

Surprisingly, he had not abandoned her when she had demanded that he pull over and let her out of the truck. He had followed her and argued with her until she finally listened to him, considered what he was offering and accepted. Being a partner, out in the field with a Federal Agent would be a new experience she was willing to pursue. She wasn't going to just be a consultant like their first case together, but partners. She could use the opportunity to use her skills as an anthropologist and she was eager to expand those skills and use them on murder cases. It was an opportunity to make a difference in the world and if that meant working with someone that irritated her then so be it. There were always hurdles to be met when learning new things and she had worked with Booth before. She would just have to be patient with the man.

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Proud of the results he had had partnering up with Brennan, Cleo Eller's case had been solved. Much to his chagrin, the murderer had not been the senator, but the senator's aide, but that didn't matter. Cleo's parents could bury their daughter giving them closure and he could close a case he had been working off and on since 2003. He knew he had been given the case because of his success with the Arrington case and for a while he thought this case would remain cold, but he finally had closed it. He just hoped he never had a case that took that long to solve again.

He arrived at the Lab and found Brennan in her office. "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

Surprised to see Booth, Brennan closed her notepad and placed her pencil on top of it. "Do you wish me to work on another case with you?"

Moving into the office, Booth sat down on the chair facing her desk and smiled. "Sure I do, but that's not why I'm here . . . I want to thank you for working on the Eller case with me. I've been trying to close that case for a long time and I thought it might end up being one of those cases that turns stone cold and never gets solved . . . Cleo deserved justice."

Brennan leaned forward on her desk and studied the agent for a few seconds. "You seem to be good at your job, Booth, but obviously you need help when there are no obvious clues to pursue. I will be more than happy to use my expertise to provide you with clues that you can use to solve your cases."

He clenched his jaw and tried to keep his temper in check. It was possible she hadn't meant to insult him, but he wasn't sure. Since he wanted to keep working with her he knew he would have to develop a thicker skin. She was probably the bluntest person he had ever met and that would take some getting used to, but he hoped it would be worth it. "Yeah . . . thanks." He stood up and sighed. "I just wanted to say thank you." Turning, he left the office. He had said what he wanted to say and he had meant every word he has said. She might think he was stupid, but he knew he wasn't and someday she might learn that for herself.

Puzzled with his abrupt departure, Brennan opened her notebook and stared at what she had written before Booth had arrived earlier. Had she said something wrong? If she had she hadn't meant to. Since she was terrible when it came to small talk, she decided that she couldn't worry about misspoke words every time she said something. If she upset him in the future, she expected him to say something. She wasn't a mind reader. Being partners with someone who wasn't a scientist was going to be a learning experience, but she had known that when she agreed to work with him. She was afraid that their partnership would fail again, but this time the blame wouldn't be placed on her shoulders. She would not walk away from the partnership. It would have to be Booth this time. She had spent the last several months regretting slapping the agent and destroying a working relationship she had found fascinating. Her temper had got the best of her and she would not let that happen again.

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	5. Chapter 5

('The Man in the SUV')

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Farid Masruk was a dangerous man and Booth had to stop him. The terrorist had killed his brother using a truck bomb which had also resulted in the deaths of four innocent by-standers at a cafe plus multiple injures. Now, the man planned to set off a dirty bomb at a peace conference at the Hamilton Cultural Center and hundreds of people's lives were in danger. Brennan and Booth were searching the Center for the terrorist, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Standing on an overhead walkway, Booth was considering his options. "I'm not taking out a target, Bones unless I'm sure."

Curious, Brennan turned to look at her partner. "Is that how you make it easier? Calling him a target?"

She had struck too close to home and Booth was annoyed. "You know, you really picked an odd time to have this conversation."

Brennan spotted the man they were looking for walking in the hallway below. "Booth! Farid! There! That's Farid."

He pulled his gun from his holster, but he couldn't see the man's face and that worried him. "I'm not sure."

She was certain the man below was Farid and she wanted her partner to stop him. "Look, his walk is labored from the dioxin poisoning and the parietal bones in his skull match his picture."

He was afraid. What if he shot the man and it wasn't Farid. He always knew who he was shooting at before he pulled the trigger. He always looked his target in the face before he took the shot. Always. "His back is towards us. What if you're wrong?" He couldn't shoot an innocent man. He just couldn't take the risk.

Alarmed, Brennan was desperate to make Booth see she was right. "This is what I do, Booth. Do you really want to wait? He's carrying something heavy in his camera bag. See? The actual weight is causing his shoulder to . . ."

"No, I can't." Booth couldn't risk shooting an innocent man. He wasn't a murderer or an assassin. He didn't believe in collateral damage. "I need a face." He needed to stop Farid, but what if she was wrong and it wasn't Farid. He couldn't just shoot someone in the back. "I need a face!"

Her desperation moving toward panic, Brennan looked down at the slowly moving man and shouted. "Farid!"

The terrorist stopped in the hallway and looked up. It was their suspect and the man was fumbling with something in his hand. Booth knew he didn't have a choice and he shot Farid in the forehead. The terrorist fell to the ground and still Booth agonized that he'd made the right call. Homeland Security Agent Bennett Gibson checked the dead suspect while Booth watched from above and he felt utter relief when it was confirmed that Farid had a bomb in the case and his thumb had been on the switch.

The sheer panic amongst the conferees had created bedlam in the halls when Farid was shot, but once the crowd was gone, Booth and Brennan made their way to the first floor, checked in with homeland security and left the building. Their job was done.

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Sitting in his office, Booth sat at his desk, his hands clasped in front of his face. Anyone peering into the room, might think that the agent was praying and perhaps he was. He hated killing anyone even when it meant saving lives. He did it because he had to, but the weight of that death weighed heavily upon him. While he was in the Rangers, he could count on talking to his confessor about what he had done and he knew that the priest he was talking to understood his doubts, but now that he was a civilian, he really didn't have anyone to talk to. The priest he gave his confession to, was a young man not long from the seminary. The young priest had no idea what it was like to be in a kill or be killed situation. He had no idea what it was like to kill someone and to see the light leave that someone until all that was left was a dead body and questions. At least Father Aldo had taken enough confessions from soldiers like Booth, so he had understood what was involved. He understood the weight of so many deaths on the souls of the ones doing the shooting. The Father had given absolution, but Booth was never sure it was enough.

He remained unmoving for quite some time when Special Agent in Charge Mickey Santana walked into his office unannounced. "Booth."

Startled, Booth lowered his hands and looked at his supervisor. "Sir, can I help you?"

Santana knew that his agent was working through killing a man and he didn't want to disturb him, but there were some decisions that needed to be made. "The Deputy Director would like to have a press conference in an hour. He wants you there."

Farid's face still in the forefront of his mind, Booth stood up and placed his arms down by his side as if at attention. "Sir, I'd rather the Deputy Director just told the press it was an undercover operation. It wasn't just me involved in stopping Farid. Homeland Security was there searching for him too. I just happened to be the one who found him. My partner, Dr. Brennan also helped me out trying to identify him. I don't want to take credit for a group effort."

Surprised, Santana nodded his head. "If that's what you want."

"It's what I want, Sir." He had so much blood on his hands and Booth didn't want to glory in more. "Thank you."

Once Santana left his office, Booth sat back down. Leaning back against his chair, he stared at the baseball sitting on his desk and he thought of his son. _Am I good man? I killed a man today. He was going to kill a lot of people, but maybe we could have found a better way to stop him. If I had figured out it was him sooner, then perhaps I could have arrested him before he got to the conference center._ He wished he had someone to talk to, but he was alone. No one he knew would understand.

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He met his partner at Wong Fu's for a drink. They had solved a case and they should be celebrating, although Booth didn't feel like a celebration was appropriate. "I told them to tell the press that it was an undercover operation."

Surprised, Brennan placed her glass down on the bar. "But it would a Rose Garden ceremony. That's an honor, right? I thought you FBI guys liked your medals."

Booth knew she didn't understand. "There's no pleasure in taking someone's life. It's nothing to celebrate."

The tone of his voice worried her. "You saved so many people, Booth . . . don't forget that."

He did get that, but still he had killed a man and it would take a while to forgive himself for doing it. It always took time.

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When things were looking bleak, Booth could count on one thing in his life that would help him see the brighter side of life. His son, Parker. When he had become a father, he had felt so proud and so scared at the same time. He wanted to be the best father he could be, but worried that his own father's influence might betray him. He worked hard to be the father his son needed and his son thrived under his care and the care of Rebecca, the boy's mother.

As his son grew older, Booth's love for the boy grew with it. Parker was his anchor. The boy had a bright cheerful disposition and when something came along to drive Booth into a funk, like having to kill someone in the line of duty, he could count on his son to pull him through.

They were sitting at the kitchen table coloring in new coloring books. Parker was enthusiastic and his pages had a tendency to be done all one color and none of the objects on the pages were colored in the lines, but Booth loved it. He usually colored with his son. Being a methodical man, he kept inside the lines and his colors were dark and somber.

"Daddy, use the red one." The boy stood on his chair, leaned over the table and held up a red crayon.

Booth took the crayon and smiled. "You want me to color the dog red?" He was game, but he thought that red was an odd choice.

"He's a bloodhound Daddy . . . I cut my finger and it was red so the dog has to be red." Parker felt sorry for his father since he didn't know that bloodhounds needed to be red.

Surprised, Booth looked at his son in wonder. "How do you know this is a bloodhound? What if it's a Chihuahua?"

Snorting, Parker placed his hand over his mouth and giggled. "You're funny, Daddy . . . Uncle Drew's dog is a bloodhound. He says its smart and can find anyone if they get lost . . . can I have a bloodhound, Daddy?"

"I'm sorry, Sport, but your Mom told you no pets and my apartment is too small for a dog." He started to color in the dog using the red crayon and thought it looked weird, but his boy wanted a red dog, so he'd stick with the color. "What color should I make the ball next to the dog?"

Parker handed his father a yellow crayon. "Yellow. I like yellow."

Taking the crayon from the boy, Booth noticed the sweet smile his son had given him. "I like yellow too." Booth colored in the ball and shook his head. "What color should I make the grass?"

Shocked, Parker stared at his father for a few seconds. "Gosh Daddy, grass is green."

He couldn't help it, he laughed. Ruffling the boy's mop of hair, Booth nodded his head. "You're right, grass is green. I guess I forgot. It's a good thing you're here to remind me."

Proud that he could help his father, the boy handed him a green crayon. "I'm a good helper Daddy. Ask me if you don't know stuff and I'll help you." The boy picked up a purple crayon to color the bird on his page. He loved birds and wondered if he could get his mother to buy him one.

"Thank you, Parker." Booth had been in a terrible funk for the last three days, but his son had erased it in just a few hours. "You're a great helper and Daddy loves you."

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	6. Chapter 6

(A Man on Death Row)

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Oooooooooooooooooooooo

In the end, three bodies were found and the clues all pointed to Howard Epps being their murderer. He had led them to those bodies to buy himself a few more years of life and he had achieved his goal. He had even told his lawyer Amy Morton that he was counting on the death penalty being overturned before he could be executed. Amy had been horrified that she had been used in such a vile manner and it shook her to her very core.

Amy had been assigned as the defense attorney for Epps and she had had questions about his case. She thought it was possible that an innocent man was about to be executed and she was desperate to stop it. She needed help working on her case and she knew who to approach. Gaining access to Booth's office, she had put doubt in Booth's mind about his investigation and that doubt had made him fear that an innocent man might die in the electric chair.

He had worked on Epps' case as primary and all the evidence had pointed towards Epps being the murderer of April White, but there had been anomalies that didn't make sense during the investigation that Booth hadn't been able to clear up and Amy had used those loose ends to make him think it was possible he hadn't done his job as thoroughly as he should have.

Booth took a lot of pride in his ability as an investigator and his ability to close tough cases and for Amy to insinuate that he had fallen down on the job had forced him to reopen the case. The worse part of the experience had been that he had pulled Brennan and the rest of the squints into the whole mess. He should have known better than to let Amy influence him. He should have listened to his gut about Epps, but he hadn't and now Epps' execution had been delayed.

Three bodies had been found that would need to be examined and identified and their cases would have to be tried. It was possible that Epps might wait another five years to meet his maker due to those trials. Booth regretted listening to Amy, but his partner didn't.

"Booth, those women were murdered by Epps and the world needs to hear about their case." Brennan believed that every voice needed to be heard. As far as she was concerned no one should go to their grave silenced and unheard. "If we had allowed Epps to die in the electric chair then those women would have merely been a footnote in Epps's story. A footnote Booth. No one would have heard about how Howard Epps had brutally killed them and that isn't right . . . What we did was the right thing to do. The world needs to hear their story. Their family needs closure. Those women need justice and the only way we can get that for them is if Howard Epps is tried for their murder."

Booth was impressed with the passion of his partners' convictions. He was learning that his partner was not the cold, logical woman that most people assumed when they met her. She was compassionate and she did her job so well because she wanted the silent stories to be told. She was dedicated and determined and Booth admired her for that. "I get that Bones. I do. It's just that he used Amy and Amy used me. I guess I used you and that . . ."

"You didn't use me." Brennan found her partner to be unfathomable sometimes. "Why would you say that? I'm your partner. You thought it was possible that Epps might be innocent though your gut told you otherwise and you were willing to make sure. Who else would you have asked to help you with the case, but me? You needed a favor and I was willing to give it to you. You didn't use me, so stop saying that. You had thought there might be reasonable doubt and I agreed. It was worth looking into to make sure that there was no doubt. You did nothing wrong. We didn't do anything wrong."

He was grateful that she was willing to see this whole fiasco as a partner's thing and that she hadn't minded the wasted weekend and the disaster that had occurred in the end. "Thanks Bones. My gut told me that Epps was guilty, but there were just those open threads in the case that we could never tie up. If David Ross had confessed to the affair with April during the trial then perhaps this whole thing may not have happened, but he was a coward. He was a coward when he used April and he's still a damn coward. I'm going to enjoy his trial and I hope he's disbarred. He caused April's death by his callous use of her . . . Anyway, the case against Epps for the murder of April White is stronger than ever. That case won't be overturned that's for sure. It's just now we have to go through another trial and Epps gets to live while that is going on. April isn't getting the justice she deserves."

"She will get justice, Booth. It's just delayed." She admired Booth's passion. He was a great investigator and many families had been given closure because of his tenacity. "The added benefit is so will Epps' other victims."

"I guess you're right." Booth still felt like he had been used. He tried to be the best and he tried not to leave stones unturned, but not every question was answered during a murder investigation. Some answers died with the victim and some died with the murderer. It's just a fact of life. "Epps is such an evil man. The only life that matters to him is his own. He uses people like they're pieces of tissue paper. He uses them and then throws them away when he's done with them." Booth was furious about how Epps had got what he had wanted. The man had wanted a delay in his execution and he had used the good guys to get it. "A man like that doesn't deserve any second chances. He should be dead right now."

Brennan picked up her cup of cooling coffee and sipped some before it was too cold to drink. "Epps will eventually die for what he has done, but all of his victims will get justice and that is what is important. He didn't win anything, but a few more months of life. His life will end in an electric chair and he can't stop that from happening."

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He leaned against the door frame of the gym and watched Booth beating a boxing bag as hard as he could. The man was obviously angry about something and Harris was pretty sure he knew what it was. Moving over to where the bag was swinging, Harris grabbed it and held it steady while Booth stepped in to take advantage of the steady bag. "You know none of what went down was your fault."

"Oh yeah?" Booth stopped and wiped his wrist across his forehead trying to remove some of the sweat from dripping into his eyes. "I was the one that listened to Amy and I'm the one that talked the squints into helping me with Epps' case. If I had ignored Amy when my gut told me to, Epps would be dead now. He's sitting in his jail cell laughing at us . . . at me." Booth stepped into the bag and started to beat it again.

Harris waited a few minutes before he said anything else. "Okay, he won, but what did he win? He's sitting on death row waiting to die. Yeah, he'll probably have another trial, so his death is delayed, but once that trial is over he'll die. His original sentence was for the murder of April White. Whether he's found guilty or innocent in the next trial doesn't mean a thing. He was convicted of April's death and his appeals have run out for that case. He's going to die just not right now."

His breathing was hard and ragged and Booth finally stopped and stepped back from the bag. Waiting a minute for his breathing to return to normal, Booth stared at the bag, shook his head and turned his gaze towards his friend. "He made me doubt myself. He made me think I had screwed up . . . I hadn't screwed up anything, but that's what he does. He sows doubt and uses people and I hate his guts."

Shrugging his shoulders, Harris released the bag and stepped back. "Well, sure. Who doesn't?"

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	7. Chapter 7

(The Girl in the Fridge)

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Oooooooooooooooooooooo

While she had worked for Michael Stires as his intern, Brennan had felt that she had learned a lot from him and after careful consideration, she had had an affair with him. He had been her first lover and she had appreciated his 'matter of fact' manner while she learned the art of making love. He had been a considerate lover, or at least she had thought so at the time and she had enjoyed the relationship very much. When she had graduated with her doctorate, she had proudly assumed her position at the Jeffersonian and she had lost contact with Michael. It had been expected. She wasn't a student anymore and she had responsibilities that made it easy for her to forget her professor.

Much to her regret, she didn't make friends easily. The fact was she rarely made friends at all. Brennan didn't understand the nuances of social interaction and she knew that she didn't understand the subtle emotions that went with most friendships. It's not that she didn't care because she did. She just didn't seem to be able to interpret silent communication. Body language was often times a mystery to her and it frustrated her. Also, the fact that most people she knew weren't very truthful made it hard to attach to anyone since she abhorred lying. She didn't understand why everyone couldn't just be honest and forthright. Sometimes she feared she would live her life alone and isolated.

The most disappointing thing about her life so far was the fact that she thought of herself as a caring person, but most people she interacted with considered her cold and unfeeling. The dichotomies were so frustrating and she didn't know how to solve the problem. Her first real friend had been Angela Montenegro. Angela was an artist and she spoke her mind whether you were ready to hear it or not. Brennan used Angela as a sounding board when she had questions about human interaction and what was considered normal social behavior. Brennan was not normal, in fact she was extraordinary and that isolated her from most human contact.

She had learned quite a bit about how to behave in social settings from her friend and she had thought she was doing quite well until she met Seeley Booth. He had shown her that social interaction was even more subtle than she had first thought. Communicating with people outside the Lab turned out to be more complicated than she had thought and she started to rely upon her partner to explain the nuances of everyday speech with people they came in contact with. Sometimes the whole thing was very frustrating and she feared that she would always be on the outside looking in. She wasn't sure if it was because she had lost her ability to love and trust or not. Her parents had abandoned her at the age of 15 and she had been forced into Foster Care when her beloved brother didn't want her anymore. She had reasoned that love had an expiration date and to not trust that particular emotion when dealing with anyone. Instead, she relied on trust. If she couldn't trust someone then they were not allowed to become her friend. Her circle of friends was tiny and she had appreciated it when she realized that Booth was her friend and he was someone she could count on. He brought a new insight into the world around her and she tried to use his advice when it came to dealing with people she didn't understand. She trusted him.

Then he did something that she considered a betrayal and she feared that would be the end of their friendship.

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He had apologized more than once and he had explained why he had given her personal information to the prosecutor at least three times, but she was still angry and he knew it. "Bones, Michael Stires sat in that witness box and tried to portray you as cold and robotic. He was trying to use your professionalism against you and the jury was buying it. Juries can be persuaded when they don't understand what's going on and they didn't know what was going on. He was charming them and he was winning. The Costellos were going to get away with torture and murder. I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't."

She stirred her coffee and thought about what he had said. She had partially forgiven him earlier that evening when they were at the crime scene, but she still needed to think about it. She had to decide if she could trust Booth. "I'm not cold and unfeeling."

"Of course you aren't and Stires knows that. He was lying his ass off in the courtroom." Booth really hated Professor Michael Stires. He considered the professor a user and he hoped Brennan realized that now. She shouldn't trust him, ever. "He was paid to get the Costellos off. He couldn't use the facts, so he decided to use you instead. He was mocking you in court and trying to make you seem like you didn't care that people were involved in the case. He wanted the court to see Mr. Spock and it was wrong and it was working."

"I don't know what that means." She hated it when her partner used colloquiums. She rarely watched television or movies, so his slang went over her head most of the time.

He knew he needed to stop using television characters as examples when he talked to his partner, but it surprised him when she didn't even know about characters like Mr. Spock. He thought everyone had seen at least one Star Trek television episode or movie. "It means he was trying to portray you like a human computer, cold and unfeeling. Michael Stires was using you and I couldn't let him do that. He's not your friend."

"But you were using me by giving my personal story to the prosecutor." That was the problem. Was what he did any worse than what Michael had done? "I trusted you. You're supposed to be my partner."

Frustrated with himself as well as his partner, Booth sighed. "Look I apologized for doing what I did, but I did it to protect you and to make the jury see that Stires was using you . . . look never mind why I did it. You don't care about that, I get it." He looked directly at her and tried to be as contrite as he could be. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down. I'll try not to ever do that again. I'm your partner and your friend and you should be able to trust me." He didn't have anything else to say. Either she would forgive him or she wouldn't.

Staring at her cup of coffee, she thought about the trial, about Michael Stires and about Booth. Michael had used her in an egregious manner. They had been lovers in the past and colleagues and yet he had treated her as if she were the enemy and maybe she was. He had led the jury to believe she was heartless and cold and it hurt that he would do that to her. Booth was also her colleague and he had tried to protect her by having the prosecutor bring up her past to show that she was human, that she had feelings and that she cared about the victim. Her partner wanted the jury to know she was not cold and heartless. He had used her, but for completely different reasons.

"I do trust you, Booth." Trust was so important to her and perhaps his tactics were not as egregious as Michael's had been. "You wanted to win and in your way, you were trying to protect my reputation. I didn't need your protection, but I understand why you did it."

"Do you forgive me?" He hoped she did. He liked Brennan a lot and he thought of her as a friend he could count on. She was certainly the best partner he had ever had. "I won't ever tell anyone personal information about you without your permission. I promise."

She thought about it for a few seconds and smiled. "You are forgiven, but I will not be in a forgiving mood if you ever do this to me again."

Relieved, Booth nodded his head. "Got it."

"Good."

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	8. Chapter 8

(The Man in the Fallout Shelter)

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He hadn't meant to get too close to anyone at the Lab. He always felt like a fish out of water when he was there and he tried to keep his relationship with Hodgins and Zach as professional as he could. The drug they had given him to keep him from dying from a fatal lung fungus had made him high and more open than he normally was. While under the influence he had shown Dr. Goodman a picture of his son Parker and apparently the archaeologist had mentioned it to someone who had mentioned it to Brennan.

He wasn't ashamed of his son, but that wasn't the point. He wanted his private life to remain private and now everyone knew he had a son and he wasn't married to the boy's mother. He obviously had been the focus of gossip and that irritated him. It irritated him a lot.

What really annoyed him the most was Brennan casually mentioning Parker being born out of wedlock. He was sure she didn't really mean anything by it, but he loved his son so much and he didn't want his son the focus of gossip by people he worked with. Booth did everything he could to protect Parker because his work at the FBI was dangerous and he had accumulated enemies over the years. The fact that Parker lived with his mother made him vulnerable since Booth couldn't be there to protect him and for that reason, the boy had a nanny to watch over him.

Parker had stood on the other side of the glass door and Booth had smiled for the first time since he had become trapped in the Lab. Sid had been kind enough to bring the boy to see him and he had tried to be upbeat for his son, but he was going to miss Christmas with his only child and there was nothing he could do about it. Parker had been happy to see him and he had been happy to see Parker, but to be separated from each other by a thick pane of glass was awful. At least his son had not been afraid of the situation and that made Booth proud. The child was three years old, but strange situations didn't upset him.

As he walked away from the glass door, he spied his partner standing near the edge of the platform watching. Changing his course, he moved towards Brennan. "Is someone coming to see you?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, there is no one that would want to come and see me." She said it in a matter of fact voice, but Booth still heard the sadness and it made him feel bad for her.

"I don't have a lot of family either." Booth decided to be more open with her. After all his biggest secret was now common gossip, so what the hell. "Besides my son, my Grandfather and my brother Jared are all the family I have." He never thought about his mother or father. They had been out of his life since he was a child and he was better off because of their absence.

She didn't really know a lot about Booth's private life since he rarely talked about his past or his family. She knew about his service in the Army as a Ranger and that he had done some things that he wouldn't talk about which she found understandable. Her partner didn't want the world to know anything about him that made him appear vulnerable. She accepted that since she knew he was an alpha male. Men like Booth didn't like to show weakness. Good or bad, she accepted it. She felt the same way. Very few people knew about her past either. It wasn't something she shared with others and that was why she accepted her partner's resistance when he evaded personal questions. "That was your son."

"Yeah, Parker." Booth glanced back to see Zach talking to his mother, making big gestures with his hands while he talked. "He lives with his mother . . . I usually spend Christmas Day with him, but I guess not this year."

Even though she had no family of her own, she thought it was nice that her partner had someone in his life to share special holidays with. "He seems like a cheerful child."

"He is." Booth enjoyed being with his son. The boy was a happy child and it made Booth feel like he wasn't a failure when it came to his son. "I mean he's three and he has his moments if he's tired or sick, but yeah, he's usually a happy kid."

Brennan glanced at Zach's large family and felt a stab of jealously. "That's nice. I don't want children, but I know I'm the exception . . . Why didn't you marry the child's mother?"

He stared at his partner and wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about Rebecca. "It's personal. I don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine. I was just making conversation." Brennan realized that she must have crossed a line she shouldn't have. She hated the fact that she had such poor social skills. "I have work to do." She turned to leave, but was stopped by her partner.

"Bones . . . I didn't mean to be rude." He had never been good at the partner's thing and thought it was time to lighten up at least when it came to Brennan. "Parker's mother's name is Rebecca. I asked her to marry me, but she turned me down . . . I was gambling at the time and I guess she worried about that and she didn't want to be involved with a gambler. I don't gamble anymore, but we missed our chance. She lets me see my son every other weekend plus Christmas and Easter. He's easy to take care of and he loves me. I try to be in Parker's life as much as I can be." He thought he had said enough. He just hoped Brennan didn't pass that information on to others. He really hated gossip and he hated it even more if he was the object of the gossip.

"I see." She had known Booth was a gambler and that he had given it up. She had not known it had created familial problems. She made a mental note of it and moved on. "It was probably for the best." She had meant that Rebecca turning him down had probably saved him a lot of heart ache since love wasn't real. She didn't trust love and she wasn't sure why anyone else did.

He wasn't sure what she had meant by that last statement and at first he was insulted, but then he remembered that Brennan was very honest and didn't use innuendo. She probably didn't know how to use it anyway and he was certain she hadn't meant to insult him. She obviously saw something between him and Rebecca and had spoken her mind. "Yeah, maybe so." He just left it like that. He didn't want to know what she meant. He had his own insecurities and he didn't need to add to them.

"Addictions can cause a lot of mistrust between partners." She thought she would add that bit of wisdom, so that he could see that she understood his situation. "It is a good thing you no longer gamble. It has allowed Rebecca to trust you with your son." She stopped talking. Booth had an odd look on his face and she wasn't sure if she had upset him or not. She hadn't meant to. "I . . ."

"Never mind Bones, I get what you're trying to say." And he did and he knew she was right. He was an addict and it was a battle everyday not to gamble. He went to meetings, called his sponsor when he needed to and avoided pool halls and race tracks. His partner was blunt, but she wasn't trying to be mean to him. He knew that. It was hard to hear someone talk like that to him, but he would accept it from her. He counted Brennan as one of the few friends he had and he appreciated that she was trying to have a conversation about a topic that made them both uncomfortable. She was an honest person and that was something he could value. She was someone he could trust. "I am an addict and I know that. I'm in control right now and Rebecca does trust me . . . You don't have to worry about me. I know that gambling could affect my job, my partnership with you and my relationship with my son. I don't gamble."

She wasn't sure what else there was to say. Booth had never given her so much personal information before and she wasn't sure why he had done so now. Perhaps their partnership was morphing into friendship. She'd have to think about it. "I do have work to do, Booth."

"Sure." He wasn't sure why had told her about the gambling thing, but he had few people he could talk to about himself. Maybe he could let Brennan in to his inner circle. It was lonely there sometimes and having more than one friend he could trust would be nice. Everyone assumed he had a lot of friends. They were wrong. Besides Brennan he counted Harris as a real friend and that was it. Those others that he called friends were just people he knew. Real friendship required trust and he found that hard to give. He had been disappointed too many times in his life. Most of the time, it was easier to keep people at arms length. "I'm going to see if Angela has come up with anything else." He walked away. This holiday was the weirdest one he had ever experienced.

She watched him walk down the hallway. Normally she spent Christmas by herself. Alone in her apartment or if she could arrange it, she went on digs. She had no family to celebrate Christmas with and since she didn't believe in God that usually didn't matter to her. This year, she was with her colleagues, trying to solve a murder while they waited to find out if they had been exposed enough to Valley Fever to warrant being hospitalized and she felt a certain camaraderie with them. She wasn't alone for the first time in years and it gave her a sense of kinship with her partner and co-workers.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

(The Woman in the Garden)

This is a reminder that this story is rated T. In this case, for language and violence.

I don't own Bones.

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Ramon Ortiz had done the unforgivable. He had put out a hit on his partner and Booth could not let that stand. Brennan had humiliated the gang leader at the Hoover and Ortiz wanted to make an example out of her. Well, Booth would make an example out of anyone that went after his partner and Ortiz would find that out shortly.

Booth had tracked Ortiz down on his home territory. The cocky bastard was strutting down the sidewalk like he owned it and he probably did. The gang leader was a dangerous man to cross and most people were afraid of him, but not all people. Ortiz didn't know who he was messing with, but that was his problem.

The agent had cornered Ortiz in an alley and warned him off of his partner. The man had not appeared to be afraid of Booth and that was a mistake. With cold menacing heat radiating from him, Booth had shoved his revolver in Ortiz's mouth and threatened him. "She's my partner and if anything happens to her, I will find you and I will kill you. I won't think twice. Look at me. Look in my eyes." He cocked the gun and spoke with hatred. "Look at my face. If anything happens to her, I will kill you. This is between you and me. Nobody sees, nobody knows. You got nothing to prove. Understand?" Ortiz didn't move and that made Booth think he wasn't getting through. Moving the gun deeper into the gangster's mouth, he knew that Ortiz was on the verge of gagging. "You understand?"

The look of naked fear coming from the gang leader couldn't be missed by anyone looking at him. Booth removed the gun and uncocked it. "Yeah, I thought so. I'll leave first because I have somewhere I have to be." As he stepped away, Booth had a thought that leaving Ortiz behind alive might not be enough. Drawing his gun, he placed the end of the barrel against the gangster's forehead and thought about pulling the trigger. _Who would know? Who'd care? No one . . . No, I'd care._ He removed the gun from the man's head and nodded his head. _If he kills my partner, I'll make sure it takes days for the bastard to die._

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That evening, Booth was jogging in a nearby park when he was approached by a middle aged man wearing new running gear. Wary, Booth slowed down and stopped, letting the man come closer. His gaze on the man's hands, he was prepared when the stranger moved his hands under his shirt and pulled out a gun. Stepping behind a large oak tree next to the path, Booth pulled a gun from a holster he had strapped around his left leg and aimed his weapon. "Not very smart."

Moving to the right into the grass, the gunman started firing as he tried to move around the tree. He hoped the shots would make Booth afraid to move and that would allow him to get closer.

Calmly, Booth squatted, leaned around the tree and shot the gunman between the eyes. Holstering his gun, he stood up and walked over to where the dead man lay.

He had not been alone in the park and several people had scrambled away from the scene while making 911 phone calls. Soon two policemen raced up the path to the scene training their weapons on Booth. "Hands up where we can see them."

Carefully, Booth held his hands up and nodded his head. "I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. I have ID in my pants pocket. You can take it out of the pocket or you can let me take it out. Whichever makes you comfortable."

Uncertain of who Booth was, one of the officers holstered his weapon, stepped closer to Booth and pulled the ID from the Agent's pocket. Flipping the case open, he looked at Booth then turned to look at his partner. "He's FBI."

Officer White kept his gun out, but lowered it. "Explain what's going on."

Since the situation was still tense, Booth lowered his hands, but kept them at his side. "I was jogging and this guy came towards me. My gut told me something was wrong. New jogging clothes, new runners, staring at me like I was a prize at a carnival. The guy was smiling at me and only me and his vibe was just wrong. I stopped running near that tree behind me and when that guy pulled a gun, I stepped behind the tree. He started shooting and I shot back. He fired maybe five shots, I shot once. He's dead and I'm not . . . I have no idea who he is. I've never seen him before."

Officer Ricci squatted next to the dead man, searched the body and found a knife in a sheath buckled to the outside of his left arm under the sweat shirt. "Nasty."

Booth agreed. "That's a Ka-Bar combat knife."

Placing it next to the body, Ricci continued his search. When he was done, he had found another pistol in a holster strapped around the dead man's left ankle, plus a wallet in his pants pocket and a pair of brass knuckles. "Not exactly your usual jogging stuff."

Amused, Booth snorted, "No shit." He had spied a tattoo on the man's left arm when Officer Ricci had moved the sleeve up the dead man's arm. "Mara Muerte . . . the tattoo . . . he's a member of Ortiz's gang."

Officer White stepped closer and nodded his head. "You must have pissed off the wrong guy, Agent Booth."

"Or he just pissed off the wrong guy." Booth knew what was going on and why. "The FBI had to deal with Mara Muerte this week. A woman was murdered and her brother was a gang member." He didn't say anything further.

Ricci shook his head. "Better watch yourself, Agent Booth." Disgusted that gang shootings were spreading into the park, he called in the shooting to his supervisor. "I need you to stay and give a statement, Sir."

Since he didn't know how long this was going to take, Booth sat down next to the tree. "Not a problem." Stretching out his legs, he crossed his ankles. "I don't have anywhere I need to be."

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Groggy, Ortiz woke up and realized that he had a cloth tied over his eyes and his hands were tied behind his back. Grunting, he squirmed and wiggled until he sat up. "Hey, do you know who the fuck you're messing with?" He heard a chuckle behind him, but decided to stay where he was. He had no intention of losing his dignity. "You heard of Mara Muerte? You let me go and all is forgiven." Amused laughter his answer, he heard his kidnapper move around to stand in front of him.

"I know who you are . . . you were warned, but did you listen? Of course not. Big boss like you. No one threatens you, do they?" It being a long day, the kidnapper sat down on a log facing his captive. "You were warned to stay away from Dr. Brennan and then you go and do something stupid by attacking her partner, a Federal Agent. I thought gang leaders were supposed to be smarter than that . . . Maybe not."

"Agent Booth . . . I know it's you. What're you going to do? Kill me?" Ortiz thought he knew what was happening. "You threaten me and I threaten you. Now you want to scare me. I don't scare easy you fucker. You let me go and maybe I let you live."

The situation was hilarious to the kidnapper. "I have you tied up, out in the middle of a National Forest and you're threatening me . . . Hey Carl, should we be scared?"

Another voice came from Ortiz's right side. "Yeah, I'm quaking in my boots. Maybe we should let him go . . . course, he might try to wack us or Dr. Brennan or someone else . . . nah, let's not let him go."

"Alright." The voice in front of Ortiz was calm. Too calm.

Afraid, but not willing to show it, Ortiz tried to take control of the situation. "Look Booth, it was business. You came after me and I went after you. We both failed. You don't think I took you seriously, well I do. We're both serious men. You let me go and I'll stay in my territory and you stay in yours . . . Come on, you're a Federal Agent, F B I. You shoot me, someday you get caught and you fry for killing me. You don't want to fry for being a murderer. Of course not. You let me go and all is forgiven . . . Agent Booth . . . I'll leave the pretty doctor alone and I'll leave you alone. Man to man, I give you my word."

"Your word doesn't mean shit." The voice was closer. "You put out a hit on my daughter and her partner. You fucked with the wrong people, you piece of shit." A sudden crack and Ortiz felt a crushing blow to his head. As he lay dying he heard a growl from the man who shot him. "And the name is Max Keenan, you asshole."

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Harris walked into Booth's office and sat down on the chair near the door. "No one knows where Ortiz is. We've had some of our people looking in all of his usual haunts and no one has seen him for at least a week now." Harris crossed his legs. "Maybe he went south to visit relatives."

"If and when he shows up, I want his ass." Booth was still fuming about being attacked in the park. "I know it was Ortiz that put a hit out on me. I want his ass in jail. No one gets away with ordering an attack on a Federal Agent. No one."

Since they couldn't do anything until Ortiz showed up, Harris decided that the absence of a vicious gang leader was probably a good thing. "One of my contacts says there might be a new gang leader. He's not sure. He thinks that maybe they had a coup. The Mara Muerte gang members are acting like Ortiz isn't coming back."

That was strange, but not completely unexpected. Booth leaned on his desk. "Lets get someone to find out who the new leader is, bring him in and lean on him. I want to know what's going on. If Ortiz is dead I need to know about it."

Standing, Harris scratched his chin. "Sure. In the meantime, watch your back. If Ortiz is still around, he may still be gunning for you."

"Yeah, yeah." Booth was a cautious man. "If that bastard comes near me or Bones, it will the last thing he does in this world."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	10. Chapter 10

(Two Bodies in the Lab)

A/N: Keep in mind the rating for this story. It is a little darker than my normal stories, but I wanted to close some of the story lines that were left hanging on the show.

I really don't own Bones.

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For just a moment he had forgot that she could read his x-rays like he could read a comic book. She didn't miss anything and that worried him.

She held one of his x-rays up so Booth could see it. "Your x-rays, there's a history of multiple fractures on your feet consistent with beating. It's a common method of torture in the Middle East. Beating the soles of the feet with pipes or hoses."

He interrupted her. He didn't want to think about his time as a POW in Iraq. He'd barely made it out alive and here she was talking about it. "Yeah, I know."

She continued to look at his x-rays. "And there are indications of injuries sustained while you were shielding someone."

Okay, now that kind of freaked him out. "How the hell can you tell something like that?" She was good, but this was just too much.

It was so obvious to her and it should have been to anyone else that knew what they were looking at. "The scarring shows that the ribcage spread in such a way that . . . "

He didn't want her to keep looking at his x-rays. What if she saw signs of the broken ribs he sustained when he was a kid? Or the other injuries his father was responsible for? His father had beat the hell out of him several times when he was a kid and this thing with the spread ribs, she needed to just stop looking. "Yeah, okay. That buddy of mine . . . he lost his weapon and I . . . I tried to . . . he didn't make it." He had tried so hard to save Mike, but they were in a fire fight and he had tried his best to shield his friend, but Mike didn't make it and he still mourned his loss. "You know, you shouldn't be looking at my x-rays." He needed her to stop before she saw too much.

"I'm sorry." And she was. She had known her partner had been in the Army, but she hadn't realized that he had been hurt while serving his country. The pain must have been terrible and those healed lower ribs, they had nothing to do with the Army. Neither did the fractured wrist. Her partner had been abused as a child and it left her speechless.

Booth thought it was lucky when Jaime Kenton showed up in his hospital room. He didn't want his partner to think he was bad luck or a loser. His body had had so many broken bones in his life that he worried sometimes that when he died, there would be no healthy bones left in his body. Being the partner of a forensic anthropologist left him vulnerable in ways he had never considered. He would have to be careful about that kind of thing, but he wasn't sure how.

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She had been terrified during her struggle with Kenton. He was going to kill her and feed her body to dogs and she had fought him with all she had. In the end, he hit her on the head with the butt of a pistol and knocked her out. When she had awoken, she found her wrists tied together, her arms hoisted up by a hook and chain in the ceiling. There was a gag over her mouth and though she knew it was useless she had screamed for help. The gag muffled her voice which meant no one could hear her. Her screams were silenced and she had no way of attracting help.

Brennan had been in serious situations before, but nothing like this. When she had been locked in the trunk of a car at age 16 for breaking a dish, she had almost died. Her ordeal had been done in isolation. That she was rescued by her social worker was a miracle, if she believed in miracles. Another time, she had been thrown in to a jungle prison. She hadn't known if she would live or die and again she had suffered in silence and isolation.

This time was different. Kenton planned to kill her, gouge her eyes out and feed her to two ravenous dogs. They're snarling was the background to Kenton's emotionless explanation as to why he was going to kill her. She was terrified and she was desperate to escape.

Just before Kenton had hit her again, fatally injuring her, Booth had appeared and shot Kenton. Another miracle in her life and yet miracles didn't really happen, did they? She was so happy to see her partner and when he removed the gag and freed her from the hook she had leaned her head against his shoulder and cried. His soft words soothed her while she tried to calm her emotions. Although her partner had been seriously hurt in an explosion, he had left the hospital and had rescued her. She had never felt so grateful and she knew that she would always trust him from that point on. Few people were worthy of her trust, but Booth was the exception. She knew that she would always be able to count on him and she hoped to do the same for him.

Their partnership was much more than that now. Much more.

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Kenton was standing in the prison yard, his hands in his pockets as he tried to accept that he had finally screwed up. He had been so careful, for so long, but his number had come up and now he would pay for what he had done. So far, no one had paid him too much attention which both surprised him and didn't. He was a big guy, well built and very strong. If anyone thought they were going to mess with him, they had another think coming. If he worked it right, he might even be top dog in his new home someday.

Silently watching the now disgraced FBI Agent, John Wilkerson knew that his job might not be as hard to do as he had thought. He was a large man and as a rule few prisoners bothered him. He had fought a few fights when he had first entered the prison, but his opponents had suffered so badly at his hands that few people crossed him now. He had a tough reputation and he planned to use that now.

Moving slowly over to where Kenton was standing, John stopped about 3 feet from the FBI agent. "You're Kenton." He said it as a statement not a question.

"Yeah." The new prisoner was wary. "What's it to you?" He wasn't going to show fear. It would just make him a tasty target and that wasn't going to happen.

John admired that Kenton was standing his ground and was unafraid. It wasn't that common. Most prisoners just kept their heads down and tried not to attract attention. "One of my brother-in-laws was the Sheriff in Fairfax county. That's in Virginia . . . He was killed while answering a domestic call . . . A damn domestic call. His office was short staffed because of the flu . . . anyway, I know that it can be rough for cops to be in here. You need someone to talk to, you look me up. My name is John Wilkerson." With that John turned and walked away. The set up was done. Now he needed to see if Kenton would bite.

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It had been four days since Kenton had been imprisoned and he had already been in three fights. When he complained about it the guards acted like he wasn't talking to them. He was a mob assassin, he had betrayed his oath as an FBI agent and he had tried to murder the partner of an FBI agent. Kenton was not someone they wanted to help.

Desperate for an ally. He wanted someone to watch his back and he'd watch theirs. Waiting in the prison yard he spied John Wilkinson and moved over to where he was standing. "Hey man. I could use someone to back me up . . . I back you up and you back me up. What do you say?"

John nodded his head and moved closer to the Agent to shake his hand. "Sure, why not?" While he spoke, he removed a shiv from his pants pocket and stabbed Kenton in the neck. Stepping back, he spat on the ground. The guards came running, but by the time the former FBI Agent arrived at the dispensary he was dead.

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John waited in the interview room for his lawyer. Once she arrived, he waited for her to sit down and the door to be closed. "I'm pleading guilty. I got nothing to lose anyway."

Bernice Adams had expected it. She was being paid by someone else who had told her to do what she could for him. "If you wish, but we could argue self-defense."

"Nah, I'm good." John leaned forward. "My sister, she's okay? Her boy, is he going to get his operation?"

"Yes, in fact he has an appointment to see an oncologist today." Bernice gave John a sad smile. "All of his bills will be paid for as long as it takes to get him well. Mr. Keenan is a man of his word. He's also arranged for your brother-in-law to work at an auto repair shop near where he lives. Your family is going to be alright, John."

Grateful, John exhaled deeply. "Good. Tell Mr. Keenan thanks for me. I've always been nothing but trouble for my family, but not now. Now I'm taking care of them."

"Yes, you are." Bernice had already set up the funds for Billy Wise's medical bills to be paid and there had been extra money handed over to his mother to pay bills while the boy was in the hospital and she couldn't work. She didn't know who Max Keenan was, but the man was true to his word.

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Harris barged into Booth's office and stood in front of his supervisor. "Man, you are not going to believe this. Jamie Kenton is dead. Four days in prison and he's dead."

Shocked, Booth sat back and stared at his lieutenant. "He should have been isolated. How did that happen?"

Sitting down on the chair next to Booth's desk, Harris shook his head. "He was in the prison yard along with the other prisoners. One of the prisoners knifed him in the neck . . . John Wilkinson. He's in for bank robbery and killing a guard during the commission of the crime. The warden asked why he killed Kenton and Wilkinson said that Jaime reminded him of one of his former brother-in-laws. He was the Sheriff of Fairfax County. I guess he was abusive towards his family and Wilkinson hated his guts. The Sheriff died during a domestic call which is kind of ironic."

Booth couldn't believe his luck. "I wanted him to stand trial for murder and attempted murder. How is Bones supposed to get closure? Kenton is dead and he's not going to pay for what he did."

"The man is dead." Harris smiled. "Seems like he was punished and pretty quickly."

"You know what I mean." Booth believed in the law. "He should have gone to court and been tried . . . Shit, now I have to tell Bones Kenton is dead and she can't face him in court."

Harris shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure she won't cry about it." Kenton had betrayed the FBI and as far as he was concerned, Kenton got what he deserved. "You know we still can't find Ortiz. I think he left the country."

"Man, I can't believe my luck."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11

(The Skull in the Desert)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Her best friend was in emotional pain and Brennan wanted to help. Angela's boyfriend, Kirk Persinger was missing and a skull had been delivered to the Sheriff's office in Merville County that could be Kirk's. She had flown out to New Mexico to look at the skull and when she tried to take custody to send it back to the Jefferson for identification purposes Sheriff Dawes had denied her request. She was not used to her expertise being ignored and that had infuriated her. She was the leading forensic anthropologist in the world and the Sheriff had refused to allow her to help with his missing person's investigation and the identification of the skull. She felt his decision was shockingly incompetent and Brennan would not let that stand.

Contacting her partner had been the first thing she had thought of. If Sheriff Dawes didn't want to allow her to help search for Kirk and his guide Dani Weber then she would force him to do so and Booth was just the man to help her do that. It had taken one phone call to get Booth on a plane to Santa Fe. That was what partners did for each other. Brennan had learned that working with Booth. She knew that he had her back and would make sure that justice would be taken care of even if the Sheriff didn't want her help to do it.

FBI Agent Seeley Booth was not really a fan of deserts. He had worked in deserts during his career in the Army Rangers, but he never got used to the intense heat and the lack of greenery. Sand was insidious and could work its way under your clothes and in to every nook and cranny of the human body. The only reason he had agreed to come was because his partner needed his authority as an Agent of the FBI to get Sheriff Dawes to cooperate with Brennan. It's what partners do. She needed his help and he owed it to her to give it to her.

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The case had been bizarre and turned out to be a case of Kirk and Dani being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They had witnessed a drug plane land in the desert and one of the local artists, Wayne Kellogg had greeted the plane which meant that Kirk and Dani had seen too much. Kellogg had panicked and he had taken care of the situation. Or so he had thought.

Kirk had been caught, killed and his body was taken for a ride on the plane. His body was dumped from the plane many miles away from the murder site and was later found in a remote area. Dani got away, but was left with hard choices. She was in a remote area on foot with little water and with no way to call for help.

With the help of Booth, Brennan and Angela, the Sheriff's sister was found. She was barely alive, but help had reached her in time.

Angela had been devastated. Her boyfriend had been murdered and she felt guilty for not being with him more often. He had loved her, but she was a free spirit and she was only able to give him three weeks a year of her time. Now those three weeks seemed to haunt the artist. Brennan could see her friend was sad and that Angela regretted not giving her boyfriend more of her time, but she thought that Angela didn't see that Kirk was willing to give her the freedom she needed to be in a relationship with him.

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She stared out of the window of the Royal Diner at the passing traffic and wondered if Angela would be alright. "Angela is very sad that Kirk is dead. She thinks she doesn't have a generous heart because she only saw him three weeks a year."

Booth stirred some sugar in to his cup of coffee. "Love is complicated. Angela loved Kirk, but not enough to live with him permanently. Some people might think that was odd, but she's an artist and kind of a wild spirit. People like Angela don't want to be give up their freedom, but I think if the right guy comes a long some day and if she loves him enough she'll be willing to give up some of her freedom to be with him. She might have loved Kirk, but not enough to commit to him. He just wasn't her soulmate."

"I don't believe in soulmates nor that love is real." Brennan felt that love was a myth created to tie people together in a permanent relationship. She approved of Angela's life style. She didn't see why it was necessary to commit to anyone permanently only to have their heart crushed when that person left. "Angela believes in love and now her heart is crushed. I don't see how committing to someone and then watching them leave is emotionally beneficial."

"Kirk didn't leave Angela. He was murdered and taken away from her." Sometimes he didn't understand his partner. He saw signs of her generosity and her kindness from time to time, but her disbelief in love was frustrating. "There is a difference. He loved her and I guess he would have continued to see her for three weeks a year forever if he could have. He was committed to her. Angela wasn't committed to Kirk and I think she feels guilty about it. She shouldn't be. There are different kinds of love and her love for Kirk wasn't true love . . . I get that you don't believe in love, but you're wrong. Love exists. Sometimes you can love someone so strongly that you're willing to get that love anyway you can. Kirk knew that Angela would never marry him, but he was willing to love her as she was. Sometimes you have to give up a lot to get a little. I'm pretty sure those three weeks meant a lot to him." At this point in his life, he wondered if he was ever going to find someone to love him and commit to him. So far, he had given his love to a few only to be rejected. Perhaps that was his fate. He hoped not.

Brennan sipped her coffee and rested the cup on the table when it was empty. "Whether Kirk was killed or he left voluntarily, he is still no longer in Angela's life and Angela is paying the price by being sad. She gave a piece of herself to Kirk and now she is alone. This thing you call love is not worth it. To have your happiness contingent on someone else being in your life is foolish. I don't need anyone in my life to make me happy."

He felt sad for his partner. She was so afraid of love and was so unwilling to risk her heart for a chance at happiness. "I know your childhood sucked. Your parents and your brother abandoned you and you didn't have any family to rescue you from what you were going through, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to find someone to be with that can share your life with you . . . I don't have very much family either. Just my son and Pops and my brother, but I wouldn't trade my life with anyone. My little boy means the world to me. I'd die to protect him from the bad in this world and Pops would have done the same for me if he had had to. I may not have had much love in my life, but what love I've experienced was enough to save me . . . Like I said love is complicated, but you can't just give up on it because of bad experiences. Angela will move on because she does have a generous heart and she'll find someone to share it with someday and someday I'll find someone too . . . I think if you give it a chance, you'll find out that there is someone out there waiting for you too. All you have to do is risk a little bit of your happiness. Just a little bit, Bones."

"I can't do that. Love isn't real." She wished that Booth would understand, but he ignored her when he didn't like the message. He was a romantic and her sound advice wasn't what he wanted to hear. "I think Angela will eventually find someone to replace Kirk. Perhaps she can get her three weeks a year again."

"I hope she finds someone that she's willing to share more than three weeks." Booth bit his lower lip. His partner was being stubborn, but he knew she was just protecting herself. "I hope she finds forever love."

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	12. Chapter 12

(The Soldier on the Grave)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell if anyone is still interested in it.

I don't own Bones.

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He still thought about that day. Lying on the roof of an apartment building overlooking a festively decorated courtyard. The birthday party was loud with music, games and small children laughing. His target moved among his guests, laughing, drinking, leaning over and kissing children's cheeks. General Radik never seemed to be still for very long and that made Booth's job that much harder. He needed a clear shot since collateral damage was unthinkable.

Finally, the general stood next to his young son while the boy opened birthday presents. This was the opportunity he needed. His finger on the trigger, he held his breath, slowly squeezed the trigger and his mission was accomplished.

There had been so much blood and that blood had sprayed everywhere, on the children and the adults that had been standing nearby. Booth knew that he and his spotter had to leave, but before he moved, he took one last look and saw Radik's son screaming and holding his father's body against his. It was a sight he'd never forget.

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He had stopped by a GA meeting before he made it to Hank Lutrell's house for Sunday dinner. Jennie greeted him at the door and smiled at the handsome man standing before her. "Hank is in the kitchen checking the wine."

Booth stepped into the house and handed his hostess a bag. "Cannoli . . . I know that Hank loves the stuff."

Jennie took the bag and closed the door. "Why didn't you bring your partner? Hank thought she was charming when he met her."

"She's working on some bones for the Army." Booth moved towards the kitchen. "They need her to ID them as soon as possible." Entering the kitchen, Booth spied his friend near the fridge, opening a bottle of wine. "Hey, I made it."

"I see that." Hank removed the wine cork and placed the bottle and the cork on the counter top. "Where's Dr. Brennan? I was hoping she'd come with you."

Booth leaned against the kitchen island. "She couldn't make it . . . Do you think we could talk for a minute?"

Hank glanced at his wife, nodded his head and rolled across the room past Booth on the way to the den. "Come on. The lasagna still has a few minutes before it's ready."

Once they were in the den, Booth cleared his throat and stared at the picture of their Army unit on the wall near the television. He and Hank were the only ones left. The rest had died when their unit had been ambushed shortly after Radik had been killed. Hank had been hurt in that ambush and he was now a paraplegic. Booth was so proud to have known them all. "I talked to Bones about Radik . . . you were right. It helped."

Pleased that his friend had finally talked to someone about his experience, Hank nodded his head. "I'm sure it was tough . . . How did she take it?"

"Like Bones, she listened and didn't judge." Booth appreciated that about his partner. She usually tried to get all of the facts before she judged anything. "She let me talk about the birthday party . . . about the blood." He swallowed. "I . . ."

Since he had been there and knew what Booth was talking about, Hank interrupted him. "Yeah, but at least you finally shared with someone besides me and Aldo."

"You know, it helped me more than I thought it would." Booth shook his head as if to fling the bad memories from his mind. "I went to a meeting tonight, but once I was there it was like I didn't need to be there. The urge to gamble wasn't as sharp tonight like it usually is . . . You know I gave up gambling because of Bones and the more I'm with her the more I don't feel the urge."

Hank had worried about Booth's gambling for years. He had seen many men and women in his court destroyed because of addiction. It didn't matter what the addiction was, once they were in over their heads their lives tumbled out of control. "But you still need to go to your meetings."

"Yeah, I know." And he did know. Booth had grown up in a house with an addict. His father had been an alcoholic who took his frustrations and anger out on his family. He never wanted to be like that. "I'm just telling you the edge is duller now that's all."

"Good, I'm glad." It seemed like a few miracles had occurred in Booth's life since he had met his partner. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

Booth followed his friend to the dining room and counted himself lucky to have such a great friend like Hank.

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She was examining the right tibia of the skeleton laying before her, when she heard a noise at the door. Turning, she spotted her partner standing in the open doorway, two bags in his hand. "What are you doing here?"

Booth held up the bags and grinned. "I went to Hank's house for dinner tonight and they wouldn't let me leave without taking half the lasagna and salad. I got bread sticks too." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I know you're thinking about going vegetarian, but you got to at least try the lasagna. Hank's wife, Jennie is a fantastic cook."

Her stomach rumbling, Brennan placed the tibia back on the table and smiled at her partner. "I am hungry." Following him out of the room, Brennan pointed upstairs. "The breakroom has paper plates and plastic cutlery."

"Good, let's go." Booth led the way and once he was upstairs, he placed the food on a table and went over to the cabinets looking for the promised plates and forks. "I already ate, but I might eat some more of the lasagna. It's so damn good." Opening the cabinet near the coffee maker, Booth spied what he was looking for and removed two plates from the pile. He found some forks in the drawer next to the sink. "Alright, now we're in business."

Once Brennan had some of the lasagna on a plate and a generous portions of salad Booth cut off a small piece of the lasagna and placed it on his plate. "She uses provolone as well as mozzarella." Taking a bite, he hummed.

Amused, Brennan scooped up some of the lasagna and found it to be as delicious as Booth had claimed. "This is very good."

"Told you." He was stuffed from eating dinner, so was careful to just nibble on his tiny portion. "Hank says the next time you should come to dinner with me. He promised to make eggplant parmesan just for you. He and Jennie are both great cooks, but his eggplant parmesan is his best dish."

Brennan smiled while her partner talked. He was a fairly serious man and seemed to rarely smile, but ever since he had talked about his experience in Kosovo at the cemetery, something seemed to have changed within him. He was still serious most of the time when they worked together, but now he seemed to be more relaxed and smiled more when he was alone with her. The thing he had done in Kosovo must have been a great burden to him and she felt honored that he had trusted her enough to talk about it with her. What he had told her had been hard to hear, but it was something she would never share with anyone else. He trusted her and she would not betray his trust. "I do love eggplant parmesan. The next time he plans to cook that and he invites you over perhaps I can go with you."

"Great . . . great Bones." Booth watched her eat and realized that he had never had a friend like her. He had a few friends and a lot of acquaintances, but besides Hank and Harris, he didn't think he could ever talk about his army days, his special ops with anyone, but her. "Maybe we can go for ice cream when you're done."

"Ice cream?" Brennan shook her head in disbelief. "If I eat this I won't be able to eat anything else."

Booth pushed his empty plate to the side and leaned forward. "Oh, come on. Who can say no to ice cream? It's one of God's perfect foods."

"I don't think so, Booth. Rice and beans could be considered a perfect food combination since it has 42 grams or 32 percent of your daily intake of energy-providing complex carbohydrates." Brennan found her partner's diet to be quite hazardous.

"Complex carbohydrates?" Booth sighed. "I'm talking chocolate ice cream. The only thing better than chocolate ice cream is bacon." Stealing a cucumber slice from her plate, he popped it into his mouth. "Hmm, I probably should have eaten the salad earlier."

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	13. Chapter 13

(The Woman in Limbo)

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Oooooooooooooooooooooo

She had always assumed that her parents were dead. It was the only thing that made sense. If her parents were alive then why didn't they take her with them when they left? Why did they allow their son to put her in Foster Care and then leave her there until she was eighteen? Was she so little valued that they didn't care what happened to her?

She now knew the answer to those questions. The awful truth was they had abandoned her. They had run away from a threat and they had left her behind along with her brother. At least Russ was 19 and an adult. No one could give him to the state of Illinois. He could go where he wanted to go, but her, no, she was fifteen years old and she was forced into a system that she didn't understand. A system that allowed strangers to abuse her and almost kill her. A system that placed her in a school that knew nothing about her and treated her like a freak. Her parents had not loved her and neither had her brother. They were all the proof she needed that love didn't exist.

Would she ever forgive them? She wasn't sure.

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"How was your visit with Russ?" Booth still found it bizarre that Brennan suddenly had family. Her mother was dead, but her father was alive and apparently hiding. That phone call he had made to her and telling her to quit looking for him had been confirmation that Max Keenan was still alive. Oddly, her ex-con brother was attempting to get back into his sister's life even though they hadn't spoken to each other for the last fifteen years. Up until this moment, he had thought his family was the prime example of dysfunctional, but now he knew that her family was just as defective as his was.

She thought about it for a few seconds and smiled. "It was nice . . . For a long time, I blamed Russ for giving up responsibility for me, but he was just nineteen years old when our parents left and he wasn't prepared to take care of me . . . I don't forgive him for abandoning me, but I am glad to have him back in my life. At least I have one family member in my life." Russ was flawed and unreliable, but he was her brother and it was time to accept that. "He has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but hopefully he's learned from them."

Booth knew that his partner has led a lonely life since she was fifteen and part of that was Russ' fault. If he had had to raise his brother at age nineteen he would have done it. Russ was irresponsible and selfish, but he wasn't Booth's brother and it wasn't up to him if Russ was in Brennan's life again. He would keep an eye on Russ though. He wasn't sure if he really trusted him. "Good, I'm glad . . . I tried to track down the phone number your father used to call you, but he used a burner phone. Wherever he is, he doesn't want to be found."

"I surmised as much." It had been a shock to hear her father's message on the answering machine and it had created an emotional maelstrom inside her. Her mother had been killed, possibly by Vince McVicar and her father whom she had assumed was also dead had turned out to be alive. "Not only did he abandon me he still doesn't want anything to do with me. Warning me to stop looking for him . . . I don't know what I did to be treated like this, but I will never forgive him for what he did. I'm his daughter, but he treated me like I meant nothing to him."

Since Booth hadn't seen his father since he was a boy, he didn't really know what to say to his partner. He hated his father and who was he to judge Brennan for her feelings about her father? "You didn't do anything wrong Bones. Your parents were crooks who ran with a violent gang. Since McVicar was after your parents for leaving the gang and your mother is dead, it's a good bet that he would have killed you and Russ if he'd had the chance. By running and leaving you behind Max Keenan probably saved your life."

"Are you condoning what they did?" Brennan glared at her partner. "What my parents did? How can you condone what they did?" It seemed ridiculous to her.

Booth shook his head. "I'm not condoning anything, Bones. I'm just telling you why I think they left you behind. If they had been honest to God normal people . . . a high school science teacher and a bookkeeper then none of this would have happened. They ran with bad people and they did bad things. They exposed you and Russ to a murderous bunch of punks . . . I'm not condoning what they did. I'm just making an observation, that's all."

Slightly mollified, Brennan stared at the glass wall of her office and observed Dr. Goodman moving down the hallway. "This is all very confusing to me. For the first fifteen years of my life, I led a rather average life. I had a set of parents and a brother. We weren't wealthy, but we had a comfortable life in a modest home . . . Then one morning, I woke up an orphan, no parents, a brother that didn't want me and I was poor. When the Foster Care people came, I had a few minutes to pack what I wanted to take with me. Some clothes, some shoes, a few books, a keepsake box with some photos and two unopened Christmas presents. Suddenly, I didn't belong to anyone. No one cared if I lived or died. The next three years were hard." She didn't want to talk about those times. "I won some scholastic scholarships and I left that life behind as soon as I turned eighteen. I didn't have anyone to help me, so I had to help myself."

Worried about his partner, Booth moved from the couch to the chair in front of his partner's desk. "That's the past, Bones. I learned a long time ago not to live in the past. You have to move forward. Looking back can only make you sad. It can color your future and you can't let it do that. Yeah, your childhood sucked, but so did mine. So, did a lot of people, but you moved on and you made something of yourself. You're the leading forensic anthropologist in the country. You're working at the Jefferson, the pinnacle of your profession. You work with the best FBI Agent on the eastern seaboard." He threw that in to get her to smile, but that failed miserably. "You did that all by yourself, without your parents and without your brother. I'm really proud to know you, Bones. I really am. You're an example of someone pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and rising to the top. It's very impressive."

"Yes, it is." Her partner was right. She had made it to the top of her profession without her family. "If Max Keenan didn't want to be my father when I was a child and he doesn't want to be my father now then that's okay. I don't need him in my life."

"The hell with him." Booth was her partner and her friend. She could always count on him.

She gave her partner an odd look. "Where do you think Max is?"

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Wherever he is, he covered his tracks pretty good."

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	14. Chapter 14

(Before 'The Titan on the Tracks')

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Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The summer had been an odd one for Booth. After working with Brennan for a year he found it odd to be partnerless. She was off on a dig in Darfur and he was investigating murders with just the help of her squints. So far, they hadn't come across a crime that had stumped him, but he knew that sooner or later some gross skeletal remains were going to show up in some state forest or abandoned warehouse and he'd have to solve it without her.

He wasn't wrong.

"Hey, some birdwatchers were in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and they found a grave. I guess some animals had dug up part of a body and one of the birders stepped on it." Harris leaned into Booth's office and waited for his supervisor to look up. "The body is on the way to the Lab downstairs."

Worried, Booth closed the file he had open on his desk. "What kind of shape is the body in?"

Morris shrugged his shoulders. "I was told its pretty rotten . . . Dr. Saroyan is supposed to start at the Lab at the Jeffersonian in four days. If our guys have any trouble identifying the victim we can wait until she starts and send the body over there and give her a shot."

"Bones won't be back for two more weeks . . . We'll give our guys a chance. They're pretty good, just not as good as Bones is . . . Cam should be a good asset at the Jeffersonian. She was Chief Coroner in New York for two years, so she's more than qualified to do the job."

Stepping into the office, Morris crossed his arms against his chest. "Have you told Dr. Brennan yet?" He really wasn't looking forward to Brennan's reaction when she found out she had a new boss.

"How could I tell her? She's in Darfur and she told me not to bug her." Booth had felt a little put out that Brennan hadn't wanted to exchange emails with him while she was gone, but he figured she was going to be elbow deep in bodies and bones and she didn't want to chat with him. "She'll find out when she comes home . . . I'm hoping Dr. Goodman sent her an email explaining everything. I mean it is his job or it was his job."

Amused, Morris laughed. "Ha, you know good and well, he didn't do that. He's going to leave it to you to break the news."

Since his friend was probably right all Booth could do was shrug his shoulders. He'd cross that path if he had to. "Let me know if they ID the body and find out if Marcus is on the case. He's supposed to be back from vacation."

"Will do."

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Much to Booth's surprise, the body was identified as soon as the body arrived at the Hoover. A wallet was found on the body. "Ramon Ortiz. Shit, no wonder we couldn't find him." Booth was furious. "I wanted that guy to pay for what he did."

"He's dead. I'm pretty sure that was a big price to pay." Morris leaned back against his chair and flipped through the report on his lap. "He was shot in the head. Marcus said point blank. He probably died instantly."

Annoyed, Booth leaned back against his chair. "You know what I meant. I wanted him to go on trial for putting a hit out on me. The bastard . . . How long has he been dead?"

Morris checked the paper work. "Probably shortly after that guy tried to whack you in the park." He read further in the report. "His wife reported him missing, but no one else seemed to care where he was except us. His lieutenant took over Mara Muerte a week after you killed Ortiz's man in the park. Maybe Aaron Perez didn't want the FBI to come down on them and he wacked his boss. Putting a hit out on you was a pretty stupid thing to do and I hear Perez is a lot smarter than Ortiz was."

"I don't want to assume anything. I want to know who killed him." Booth was frustrated. How was he supposed to do his job, if the murderers were getting killed before he could get to them? "Man, I hate gangs."

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Carl met his friend at a Denys that he loved to eat at. While he waited for Max to show up he ordered an omelet with several pieces of bacon.

"What's up, Carl?" Max sat down, grabbed a menu and looked it over. "Why'd you ask for the meeting?"

After sipping some of his coffee, Carl placed the mug down on the table, leaned forward and responded in a lowered voice. "Some nature nut found Ortiz's body."

"You're kidding me?" Max was shocked. "I thought we had chosen a pretty remote spot to plant Ortiz . . . oh well. There isn't anything I can do about it now. The gun is at the bottom of the Chatooga River. Even if someone finds it, I wiped it clean and dismantled it. No one is going to find all the pieces. We're good."

Not really worried about the situation, Carl nodded his head. "I wasn't worried, but I did want you to know about it. If we have to bury anyone else, it will have to be somewhere else."

"I'm not planning on getting rid of anyone else." Max noticed the server approaching and waited. Once his order was made, he watched her leave. "We probably should have taken his wallet with us and made it harder to identify him, but that doesn't really matter either."

"Alright." Carl leaned back against his chair while the returning server placed his breakfast in front of him. After she had left, he smiled. "Your son is behaving himself. His girlfriend and her kids seem to be keeping him on the straight and narrow."

Max was relieved to hear that. "That boy was always looking for short cuts when he was a kid. I tried to encourage him to go to college or at least a good community college. He could have got certified as a diesel mechanic and made good money, but he wasn't interested. I hate to say it because he's my son and I love him, but he isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Not like Tempe anyway."

"Ha, I don't think anyone is a smart as Tempe." Carl had talked to Brennan a few times in the last few years and he found it amusing that she had no idea he knew her father. It was easier to keep an eye on her if he didn't have to hide what he was doing. "She's still going to her Aikido classes. She's pretty good and I've done a few matches with her. She can kick ass that's for sure."

"I'm glad to hear it." Max and his wife had been terrified for their daughter when they had fled leaving her behind. His daughter was very introverted and never seemed to understand the subtle use of body language or popular speech. She'd had a few friends in elementary school, but no one close and once she had entered high school the situation had gotten worse. They had counted on Russ to take care of her, but to Max's horror he had found out that Russ had abandoned her a month after they had disappeared. That Max hadn't found out about it until Brennan had aged out of Foster Care had made it so much worse. He had wanted to kill his son when he had found out, but over time, he realized that he had counted on someone he knew was irresponsible. Russ had been unable to take care of his sister and Max had to blame himself. There was no one else responsible for what had happened to his daughter. He had tried to make up for it, by asking friends to keep track of her. His daughter had excelled in school and had made it through college on scholarships. She was at the top of her field and it was all do to her ambition and her intelligence.

Carl cut up his omelet and popped a piece in his mouth. "Um, that's good . . . Just so you know, Booth is considered a rising star at the FBI. He's smart and he's a great investigator. His partnership with Tempe has done wonders for his career. He was smart to hook his wagon on a rising star like your daughter. He might even make to the Directorship someday. He's ambitious enough."

"I'm glad Tempe found Booth. She needed a friend and as far as we can tell, that artist and Booth are the only ones she has . . . It breaks my heart that we didn't do better by her." Max knew that living in the past wasn't going to solve anything. "She's better off without me. Both of my kids need to just forget about me and move on. There are too many people looking for me and I'm afraid that they're going to go after my kids to force me out. I wish they had never found Christine's body." He sighed. "What a mess."

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	15. Chapter 15

(The Titan on the Tracks)

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Her first meeting with her new supervisor had taken her by surprise. She had changed her plans over the summer and instead of going to Darfur she had visited her brother in North Carolina. She had expected to return to work and find everything the way she had left it. Instead, Booth had picked her up and brought her to a crime scene that involved a deadly train wreck.

While trying to determine why Booth had brought her there, they had approached a rather commanding woman who had given her orders Brennan had no intention of following. Dr. Cam Saroyan had started to flirt with her partner as soon as she had seen him and it was clear that they had known each other before that train derailment. Booth had introduced her to the doctor who it turned out to be her new supervisor. It was quite a shock.

She found it hard to believe that Dr. Goodman would quit his position at the Medico-Legal Lab and not consider her as his replacement. Brennan had been at the Jeffersonian since 1998 and she was one of the main reasons that the Lab got as much funding as it did. And to hire someone who was a coroner just didn't make sense to her. Coroners were all about blood and flesh and anyone with common sense knew that the bones were the key to solving most crimes. Flesh merely covered up the evidence.

Add insult to injury, Booth had been told before she had been told about Dr. Saroyan. She had to work with this new supervisor and yet Dr. Goodman had failed in his duty to make sure she knew before her partner did. Brennan wasn't sure if she should be insulted, angry or sad. She had never had to deal with this kind of betrayal before in the workplace and she was trying to handle it calmly. Still, Dr. Goodman had clearly failed in his duties and she would not forgive him for being so unprofessional. She had thought better of him and he had disappointed her.

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While she worked on the case and talked to her intern, Angela and Hodgins about the situation, Brennan realized that she didn't know what Dr. Goodman's job actually entailed. It seemed odd that she was unaware of what he had done at the Lab, but since his work load didn't intersect with her work load it seemed logical that she not know. Once the details of Goodman's departure were revealed, she found it insulting that the man had appointed Dr. Saroyan as his replacement then took a two-month sabbatical to avoid talking to her. It seemed a cowardly thing to do. Why hadn't he given her the chance to apply for the position? Why take a new job and not mention it to her before she left on her vacation? The whole thing was ridiculous and bordering on unethical.

Her partner had thought she didn't get the job because she lacked people skills, but Brennan felt he was wrong. She could communicate rather succinctly when dealing with people at crime scenes and at the Lab. Sure, she didn't know the minutiae of their lives, but why would that be necessary? She only wanted a professional relationship with these people not a personal one.

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In the midst of this professional upheaval, Booth broke the news to her that Vince McVicar, the man who might have murdered her mother had been killed by a fellow prisoner. They had both traveled to the prison to find out what had happened and Mitchell Downs had claimed that Vince McVicar's death was a message from Max which Brennan had found very disturbing. It was bad enough that her father was connected to a series of bank robberies in the 70's and the death of several State Police officers during a robbery gone bad, but ordering Downs to murder an enemy was horrifying.

She had meant to have McVicar questioned in court and find out where her father was. Now that access was gone and so was her ability to get justice for her mother. There were too many questions that were now unanswered and she feared she would never get the closure she was seeking.

 _Russ Brennan._

"It's me Temperance." Brennan had dreaded making this call, but it needed to be done. "Vince McVicar is dead."

 _You're kidding me? How did that happen?_

Brennan sighed and watched the road while Booth drove them back to the District. "He was murdered by a man named Michell Downs. He claimed McVicar took the last fruit juice in the cafeteria line, so he killed him, but I'm sure that Dad had Downs kill McVicar."

 _What? Tempe, don't be ridiculous. How would Dad get to Downs to get him to do that? Everyone has Dad on a list and there is no way he could walk into a prison and talk to Downs or anyone else and not be arrested._

"I don't know how he did it, but Downs told Booth and me that McVicar's death was a message from Max. We didn't mention Max's name. He brought up the name unsolicited." Brennan was so frustrated and so angry. "Max had a man murdered, Russ."

 _We don't really know that, Tempe. Maybe McVicar mentioned Dad's name, Downs heard about it and when you showed up he used it to yank your chain. The guy is a murderer. He probably gets his jollies being an asshole._

"I'm not sure, Russ." Anything was possible, but she thought her brother was trying too hard to exonerate their father. "I'll have to think about it." She ended the call and sighed.

Since Booth was sitting next to her during the conversation, Booth had heard everything. "Maybe Russ is right. Max Keenan is a wanted man. He couldn't walk into prison with immunity. The Warden said that Downs doesn't have any family and no one has visited him from the outside for over two years. If Max did this, then I don't know how he did it."

She wasn't sure what to believe. "I think Max found a way to get to Downs and he had him kill McVicar. Max is a murderer."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have an explanation for his partner. If Max did do this then they needed to find him.

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The case was over and Brennan was still deciding what to do about her new supervisor. She wanted to work at the Jeffersonian since it was the penultimate place to be when it came to her profession, but she wasn't sure she wanted to work with Cam. When Dr. Goodman had supervised the Lab, he had allowed Brennan to have a free hand during her investigations. Now everyone at the Lab was supposed to answer directly to Cam and that left Brennan feeling out of control. How was she supposed to do her job if she was supposed to get approval for each step she needed to take to solve a crime?

It was also annoying that Booth had probably had a past with her new supervisor. She worried that it might influence him in some way and interfere in future investigations. If there was a conflict between her and Dr. Saroyan would Booth be loyal to her or would he show fealty towards Cam? She didn't know and that meant that Cam might be more disruptive than was necessary.

Brennan was the best forensic anthropologist in the country if not the world and she could get a job elsewhere if she wanted it. She just needed to decide if that was what she wanted to do.

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	16. Chapter 16

(The Boy in the Shroud)

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"What if I fired her? What would you do?" Cam watched Booth's reaction. She had already threatened to find Brennan's replacement even though she knew that if Brennan left the Jeffersonian so would her loyal staff. Now she needed to know if that included Booth.

"I'm with Bones, Cam. All the way." Booth knew that Cam was having trouble with Brennan, but he hadn't realized it had gone this far. "Don't doubt it for a second." Booth had risen through the ranks of the FBI due to hard work, brilliant investigative skills and with the added help of Brennan and her crew. He was smart enough to know that his partnership with the best forensic anthropologist in the country had given him a leg up on his competitors and that was why he was now Special Agent in Charge at the Hoover.

If anyone tried to sever his partnership with Brennan, he would raise hell and find a way to protect that partnership. It didn't matter to him if he had known Cam for a long time. Brennan was his partner and his friend and he would not allow his partnership to be destroyed without a fight. Not when that partnership allowed him to close cold cases that were all but frozen. He wanted justice for everyone no matter how delayed it was and Brennan was the key to that goal.

She had not been sure what Booth's response would be, but Cam got the message loud and clear. Fire Brennan and she would have a fight on her hands. She knew she could handle the loss of Brennan's crew, after all they were replaceable, but Booth was another matter. The man was tough and he fought for what he believed in. She would have to rethink her position. It wouldn't be good for her career if she managed to lose not only all of her employees, but the FBI liaison too who also who happened to be the Agent in Charge at the Hoover.

Booth could see that Cam was listening to him and he appreciated that. He really liked her and considered her a dear friend, but she needed to understand what she was doing and why. "Maybe you just got off on the wrong foot with this case with Brennan because . . . uh, she was a foster kid." He hadn't really wanted to tell Cam that personal bit of information, but his friend was moving down a road that would be disastrous for all of them.

"Oh." That was a surprising bit of news and now Brennan's reaction to the case was starting to make sense. She had thought that the anthropologist was merely defying her at every turn because of ego, but now it would seem this case was personal. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Booth shook his head. "She doesn't do that." Brennan rarely talked about her past with anyone. As far as Booth knew, Brennan had only told Angela and him about her abandonment as a child and her stint in Foster Care. Of course, it was possible that Angela had already told Hodgins, but Booth tried to protect his partner's privacy like he protected his own. That was what friends did, wasn't it? "Oh . . . by the way, I didn't tell you that." The last thing he needed to hear was Brennan scolding him for betraying her trust. He was trying to protect her and everyone else at the Lab, but his partner may not see it that way or understand his motive.

Once Booth had left her office with Hodgins in tow on the way to The United States Botanic Garden Cam thought about what Booth had told her and she realized that she needed to come up with a new strategy when it came to dealing with Brennan. She wasn't sure what that would be, but she had been the Chief Coroner in New York and had been successful. She would not fail in this job either.

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She had watched a fifteen year old girl almost throw her life away to protect her brother. The boy had been responsible for the death of Dylan Crane, but because Kelly loved her brother so much, she was willing to say she had murdered her boyfriend to protect her little brother. She had taken the weight of the world upon her young shoulders and Brennan and Booth couldn't let her do that.

Brennan had seen a little bit of herself in Kelly. Fifteen, alone in the world, trapped in a system that rarely showed kindness. A society that treated foster children like they were trash and not worth saving. She had let herself become emotionally involved in the case and now she needed to take a step back. Kelly had been allowed to see her younger brother before he entered the judicial process and Brennan had felt sad that the girl was now truly alone. She hoped that Kelly would work hard, return to school and try to improve her position in society. Brennan wanted Kelly to succeed even though there were so many that wouldn't care if the girl failed.

Once she had time to think about her actions and the fact that Cam was considering firing her, Brennan thought that she needed to talk to her supervisor. Since she was the leading authority in forensic anthropology, Brennan wasn't concerned about getting a new job, but her colleagues might not have that cushion and the thought of breaking up her partnership with Booth was unthinkable.

After accepting that she might have been responsible for some of the trouble between them, Brennan had been surprised when Cam had offered her a deal. She would give her scientist three free passes to defy her each week and Brennan knew she could live with that condition. Her team would remain intact and she could continue to work with Booth. She had not thought that such a positive outcome could come to pass, but Cam had proven why she was a good supervisor.

"I don't think I would like Dr. Saroyan's job." Brennan sipped her coffee while she waited for her food to be cooked and delivered to the table.

Surprised, Booth placed his cup of coffee down on the table. "Oh yeah?" He wasn't sure where this was going, but that Brennan had come to an agreement with Cam had been a relief to Booth. "I thought you wanted the job."

"I did until I realized what that job entails." Brennan sighed. "Not only is Cam the coroner, she is also responsible for payroll, timesheets, budgets, discipline of the staff, responsible for the security of the Lab, responsible to the Board of Directors of the Jeffersonian and she must deal with outside agencies and some of them political. Consider how she handled Ms. Supac, the Assistant U. S. Attorney. Ms. Supac had denigrated our work and Cam defended us. She handled the situation very capably and professionally. I think she will do her job well and that will allow me to do mine . . . besides there are lot of meeting required for her position. How could I do my job properly if I have to go to numerous meetings just to placate people who don't know what I am doing, but feel they need to have a say anyway?"

Booth was impressed. Brennan didn't usually back down from anything, but she was accepting the fact that the supervisor for the Lab was Dr. Cam Saroyan and that she didn't really want the job. He was relieved. "That's great, Bones. I never did think you'd be happy being the boss. It's a political position and you hate politics. We make a great team and if you were running the Lab you wouldn't have been able to work with me very often."

She agreed with his conclusion. "I am glad that I don't have to leave the Lab. It was a real possibility, but now that I have come to terms with Cam that will not be necessary . . . I hate change, so I'm glad that I will not have to find a new position somewhere else nor will I have to find a new partner . . . I have enjoyed working with you, Booth. I would miss not working a case with you."

"Thanks." His partner rarely praised him, so when she did it made him feel like she appreciated him. "I'd miss working with you too."

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	17. Chapter 17

(The Blond in the Game)

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She sat in her living room staring at the plastic pig Booth had given her. The pig even had a name, Jasper. She really didn't know why her partner had given it to her, but he had done so at a moment when she needed it.

Still trying to come to grips with what she had done, Brennan gripped the toy pig in her hand and held it against her chest. She had killed a man. That man was trying to kill Booth and she couldn't allow that to happen, so she had killed him. Gil Lappin had killed Sarah Kosskoff and he was going to kill Helen Majors just before they had found her at the abandoned Postal Distribution Center. The man was a kidnapper, a murderer who worked with a serial killer and she shouldn't feel bad about killing him, but she did.

More than once, Booth had told her that when you kill someone there is a steep cost. She trusted him because he had killed fifty men while he was in the Army. Booth had kept track of every kill, every name, every face. He never forgot. He had once told her that with each shot, we all die a little bit.

When he had told her of his past as a sniper, she had felt sad for him at the time. To know that your job was important and that you were ridding the world of evil and yet moral enough to feel the deaths of every man must have been hard. She knew that Booth hated to kill and he had left the service because he couldn't do it anymore and yet he hadn't been completely free. Since they had started working together he had been forced to kill a terrorist threatening a conference with a bomb and that death had been hard on him. She had been sympathetic at the time, but she had never imagined that she would be placed in the same situation.

She had killed a man. The look of surprise on Gil's face after she had shot him and before he fell, would always be with her. She had watched him die and Booth was right. There was a steep cost and she was paying it now. She was tired, but when she tried to sleep, she saw the death of Gil Lappin play out in her dreams. He had seemed like an ordinary man. Gil had worked for the postal service and he owned a dog. But he was friends with Howard Epps and he had killed a young girl. He was a murderer and there was nothing redeeming about him. He had tried to kill her partner and she had protected Booth the only way she could.

She killed a man.

A knock on the door surprised her. Glancing at the clock on the wall near the bookcases, she noticed it was one in the morning. An odd time for someone to visit. Another knock on the door told her that whoever it was, was not going away. Reluctantly, she stood up and slowly moved to the front door. Peering through the spy hole in her door, she was surprised to see Booth standing in the hallway. Opening it, she pulled her robe tightly around her body. "Do we have a case?"

"No . . . no we don't." He stood there staring at her allowing her to make the next move. He had had a restless evening and he was worried about his partner. If she told him to leave, he would. It was up to her.

Stepping into the hallway, Brennan placed her arms around Booth and leaned against him. "I killed him."

He moved his arms so they circled her and he stood still while his partner sniffed. His worries had born out. Brennan was still upset about shooting Gil and he wanted to comfort her. "You saved my life, Bones. You save Helen Majors and who knows who else he would have targeted in the future."

His words were comforting. She knew she could trust his words because he had been through this many times. "Yes . . . He deserved what happened to him."

"I agree." Booth released her and placed his right hand under her chin lifting it gently until she was looking at him. "Want to go for a walk?"

Her need for company, her need not to be alone made her answer quickly before Booth changed his mind. "Yes . . . Come in and let me change my clothes." She stepped back into the apartment and hurried to her bedroom. "I won't be very long."

Standing inside her apartment, Booth looked at the glass of milk on the coffee table and was reminded of many sleepless nights when he had trouble sleeping. His drink of choice was usually beer or Scotch, but he knew that Brennan knew what was best for her. Everyone handled emotional upheavals differently. His father had drunk until he was out of control. On those days, his entire family paid for his sleepless nights.

"I'm ready." She raced into the living room, wearing jeans, a sweat shirt and athletic shoes. Brennan stuffed her keys to her front door in her front pants pocket and a little money in the other pocket just in case her partner wanted to get a cup of coffee. "Do I need a jacket?"

"Not really. I think it's kind of nice outside." Booth walked back into the hallway and waited for his partner to follow him. Once the door was locked he walked over to the staircase, opened the door and walked quickly down the stairs, Brennan following him. The lobby was semi-dark and both Booth and Brennan waved at the security guard as they left the building. On the sidewalk, Booth turned right and began to walk at a comfortable pace for Brennan. He knew his legs were longer than hers and he didn't want her to exert herself keeping up. That wasn't the point of the walk.

As they moved down the sidewalk, walking shoulder to shoulder, Brennan enjoyed the fact that the streets were clear of traffic at that moment. She knew that a few blocks away the streets were busy, after all, Washington D.C. was a tourist center and people worked through the night to entertain them. It wasn't New York City, but it was still busy. Rush hour began at around six in the morning, but there were people that went to work earlier than that because the traffic was so bad. She loved where she lived and appreciated how quiet the neighborhood could be late at night. "The temperature is pleasant." She wasn't sure what else to say.

The streets and sidewalks were well lit and Booth appreciated how safe this neighborhood was. His apartment was in an older part of town and though it was well lit too, that didn't prevent trouble cropping up from time to time. Still, he liked where he lived and had no intention of moving. "It is." The silence from his partner was worrisome. He didn't consider her a chatterbox, but Brennan's mind worked in over drive and a lot times she liked to lecture him about certain topics she was interested in. Her quiet demeanor seemed to be very un-Brennan like. "The first time I killed a man, I was 22 years old. I was part of Operation Desert Storm . . . My unit was attacked by Republican Guards and they had a hell of a lot more experience than we did . . . Somehow, we survived the attack and the Guard left us alone, but two of their men were dead and a friend of mine was seriously injured. I think there were just more of us than them and that's why we came out on top . . . the man I killed was probably about thirty, not too old, not too young . . . I just stared at his body. I knew I had a job to do and I did it, but that night . . . that night . . ." He swallowed. It had been many years ago, but it was still hard to talk about. "He . . ."

Brennan didn't want her friend to struggle and placed her arm around his arm. "Yes, I understand. I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Gil die . . . How long did it take you to . . . to be able to sleep without the dreams?"

"A while." Booth had spoken to a priest about his experience and he had been given absolution which had helped. Although God had forgiven him, he had had to learn to forgive himself. "You just live your life. Eventually something else will come along to replace the memory. A stronger memory. Hopefully a happier memory." At the time he had been in a war zone and he had been responsible for more deaths, so each death added to his guilt, but he found solace in the fact that he was on a mission for his government and they would not ask him to do anything evil. He was there to right a wrong and he never forgot that.

It helped her to have someone to talk to that actually knew what she was going through. Angela and Hodgins had been full of platitudes, but their words had not brought her comfort. Booth's plastic pig that he had given her shortly after she had killed Gil had helped, but this walk, his understanding words were what she had really needed. She would not forget what she had done, but Booth gave her perspective. He had lived through this more times than she cared to think about and yet he was a normal man. She wanted to be normal too. She knew she was an extraordinary scientist whose expertise was sought out by many governments and institutions, but in this one case, she just wanted to be normal.

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	18. Chapter 18

(The 'Truth in the Lye')

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He didn't know how it had happened, but he slept with his ex and they were both very uncomfortable about the situation. Rebecca was his ex-girlfriend and that meant she was in his past. The only time he contacted her was when it had to do with their son and yet something had gone wrong during her visit to his apartment and they had made love.

It worried him. He didn't want his partner to find out about it, because it wasn't something he was happy about. Booth didn't want to get back with Rebecca. They had missed their moment five years earlier and there was nothing to bring them back together again. Any love he had felt for her was long gone and he knew that she didn't love him. Rebecca was having trouble with her boyfriend, Drew and having sex with her was putting him in the middle of something very messy and very complicated. Booth knew that he had made a mistake and he had to move on. There was no way that it would happen again. Rebecca agreed with him. It had been a mistake. A kind of mind blowing mistake, but still a mistake.

Unfortunately, Brennan's timing couldn't have been worse if she had tried and she called him while Rebecca was still in the apartment. Much to his irritation, Rebecca answered the phone and Booth suspected that was probably not going to end well for him. He tried not to make too much of the call after all it was his apartment and someone had to answer the phone didn't they? Rebecca was the mother of Parker and wasn't it natural for them to meet sometimes? Of course, it was. Besides, Brennan didn't always pick up on what was going on around her, so she probably didn't make any connections between him and his ex. _Sure, let's go with that._

Later that morning at the crime scene, Booth felt a twinge of guilt as he greeted his partner. Why he wasn't sure. It's not like he was interested in Brennan or they were dating. She was just his partner. They worked together and yes, they were friends, but that's all. _Right?_ He wasn't being unfaithful because there wasn't anything to be unfaithful about and yet the sight of his partner and the fact that she had talked to Rebecca while she was in his apartment triggered a sense of guilt. _Damn it. What the hell is wrong with me? I didn't do anything wrong. Well I did, but Rebecca agrees with me that it won't happen again._

Though she usually didn't pick up on cues from body language, Brennan found her partner was showing signs of nervousness and she wasn't sure why. He talked about Rebecca and a comic book for Parker that seemed harmless enough, so perhaps that was it, but why Booth seemed fidgety was beyond her. She really wished she was able to interpret body language more confidently, but in this case his nervous greeting was obvious and fascinating.

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While she began to work on the case, it dawned on Brennan that her partner might have got back together with Rebecca and he just didn't want anyone to know about it. It seemed logical and would explain Booth's embarrassment. The man had had sex with Rebecca and being the prude that he was, he didn't want to admit it. For an alpha male, he certainly tried to hide a lot of his private life. She had no idea how many sexual partners he had since he never talked about them, but she assumed he had a few and if he chose to get back together with his former girlfriend then of course that was only natural. _Wasn't it?_ Rebecca was the mother of his son and that gave them a common point of interest.

Of course, she passed on the news of his new relationship to Cam and Angela because it would be a point of interest to her co-workers. They all worked together and their lives were entwined. She wasn't gossiping. She was just passing on pertinent information that affected their group dynamic.

Booth on the other hand did not agree with her and said she had gossiped about him. She disagreed and objected to his mischaracterization. They were all colleagues and friends and wasn't his personal life changes worth noting? Not according to Booth, but then again, he didn't want to admit that he was helpless sometimes when it came to biological urges. The man truly was a prude in every sense of the word which she found both amusing and annoying.

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The fact that their murder victim was a perv didn't help Booth's mood. Larry Seaver turned out to be a bigamist and an adulterer too. He had two wives, kids by both women and he'd still managed to find a lover whom he'd impregnated. The fact that it had taken his murder to bring that to light just seemed wrong to Booth. How could his wives not know what two-time Larry was up to? It didn't make any sense and in the end he had been right. They knew all right and they had tried to set up his possible suicide to look like a murder for insurance reasons. The fact that Larry had been murdered and that murder had been staged go look like a suicide had just made the twists and turns of the case more bizarre and aggravating.

Larry Seaver had stolen $85,000 from a contractor. He was married not once, but twice and he had created two separate families. He had cheated on those two wives. The man had not been a good man as far as Booth was concerned, but he investigated the murder because it was his job and with the help of Brennan and her squints he had found the murderer. Two-time Larry had been the instrument of his own demise, but he had left behind two children that would never see their father again and another child was on the way. All in all, no one had won in this situation. Larry had ruined a lot of lives.

While he was investigating the case, Booth had found time to talk to Rebecca and during that conversation, she had told him that he was a wonderful father and that his son was a lucky kid. Up until that moment, he had always assumed that perhaps one of the reasons she had turned down his marriage proposal was because she didn't consider him good father material. He had been a sniper and he had killed a lot of men. Booth felt that she had judged him on his past and didn't see a bright future living with him. He had worked hard to prove her wrong, but still the doubts were there and he couldn't seem to ignore them. By telling him he was a wonderful father, Booth felt that he wasn't the sole reason for Rebecca turning down his marriage proposal. She saw that he was a good father and that made him proud. At least he was getting that part of his life right.

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After confronting Cam about spreading gossip about him, one thing led to another and Booth found that his attraction to his old friend was still there. They had been a couple in their college days and they were still compatible. Cam was a dear friend and he had always had fun with her. Now that he had decided to keep his relationship with Rebecca platonic, he found that he was drawn to Cam _. Maybe Bones is right and I can't control my biological urges after all. Damn it!_

"I don't think we need to tell anyone that we're this friendly with each other." Cam sat on her bed and stared down at Booth. "We're friends, we've been friends for a long time and it's no one's business that we're now friends with benefits."

His smile gone, Booth sat up. "I hate that saying . . . friends with benefits. We're friends."

She could see he was annoyed, but she was trying to be practical. She was in charge of the Lab and she didn't want there to appear to be any conflict of interest. "You know there is a rule about fraternization at the FBI."

Leaning back against the headboard, Booth crossed his arms against his chest. "You're not my partner, Bones is and you work for the Lab not the FBI. There is no fraternization going on here."

"Booth, I wasn't exactly welcomed at the Lab with open arms and you know it." Cam sighed. "I've had to prove myself to Dr. Brennan as well as the rest of the staff since they all expected Brennan to become the head of the Lab when Dr. Goodman left. I have achieved a détente with Brennan and having sex with her partner might upset that détente. You and I are friends. We're very good friends, but I don't want to make my job at the Lab tougher than it needs to be."

"Okay, I get it." And he did. Booth knew just how hard it was to work with geniuses and the squints might not like it if he and Cam were too close. "They might see conflict of interest when there isn't any . . . We'll just keep this between us . . . Bones is a good friend and I don't want her to worry that I don't have her back . . . My partnership is important to me and I have to support her all the way. You get that."

Cam wasn't so sure that Booth didn't love Brennan at least a little bit. "I do, but I run the Lab and I need the loyalty of my people to do my job. We can keep being 'friends'." She used her fingers to make quote marks. "But no one else needs to know about it."

"You know sooner or later, Bones is going to figure it out. She might be clueless when it comes to social stuff, but believe me, she has a steep learning curve and she's the smartest person I know." Booth reached over and touched Cam's knee. "I don't think she'll really care, but who knows . . . She's a very loyal partner and I try to be loyal to her. It's a matter of trust really. It took us months to learn to trust each other and I won't wreck it."

"Hey, I'm hungry. Why don't we make some omelets?" Their relationship had taken an unexpected turn, but Cam wanted it to work between them. She had been lonely since her move from New York and Booth had helped with that. She knew him and she was comfortable with him.

Hungry, Booth slid out of the bed, looked for his boxers on the floor. "I hope you have some cheese." Booth found his shorts and put them on. "You know you need to stop gossiping about me. I hate that shit."

"I don't gossip." Cam found her robe and slipped it on. "I was just passing on information that Brennan had given to me."

"Uh huh. Sure." Booth shook his head. "Just quit passing on information about me . . . Bones says she hates gossip too, but . . . well, just don't do it anymore."

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	19. Chapter 19

(The Woman in the Sand)

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Oooooooooooooooooooo

Vegas, not exactly someplace he should have been sent to. Booth had given up gambling roughly three years before this trip and he was doing well, but now he was in the epicenter of gambling in this country and he felt that it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge.

Everything in Vegas was used to tempt you to let your inhibitions loose and getting you to gamble was their primary goal. He hated Vegas. He was trying so hard to overcome his addiction and everyone and everything in Vegas was trying to get him to fall off the wagon.

Except for his partner. She considered him to be a degenerate gambler and she kept an eye on him. Touch a Keno card and she popped him one on the hand. She stayed in his hotel room in his bed to make sure he didn't slip downstairs and give up his sobriety.

"Bones, you don't have to sleep in the same bed as me. You can sleep in your own room." The situation was awkward. Brennan had noted that the bed was a King size bed and there was plenty of room for the both of them. He wore sweat pants and a t-shirt and so did she and yet it still seemed a little too risqué for him. His beautiful partner in his bed and he had to keep as much distance between them as possible. After all, he was a gentleman and she was just a friend and he was in a relationship with Cam. He had never cheated in his life and he wasn't going to do it now. Of course, Brennan considered him a friend and she didn't have any romantic feelings for him. _That's a good thing, right?_

"I saw how you reacted to the slot machines downstairs." Brennan pulled the sheet up to her chin and debated whether or not to turn the temperature controls on the A/C up. She thought Booth kept his room a little too cool to be truly comfortable. "The lights and the sounds were like a siren call. You were paralyzed with fear."

Annoyed, Booth stared at the ceiling. "I was not paralyzed with fear. I'm not afraid of anything . . . I was just . . . um, surprised that's all. It was loud and it was hard for me to think."

"Uh huh." Brennan was not impressed with his explanation. "Well, I'm staying with you tonight and you'll just have to accept that. I will not allow you to throw your sobriety away. You've done quite well and to gamble now would be a huge mistake. I will stay with you every night we have to be here."

Booth turned on his side and faced the bathroom door. "I'm not going to gamble."

Brennan agreed. "That is correct."

He closed his eyes and smiled. Sometimes his partner was a pain in the ass, but at that moment, he realized just how much of a good friend she was. He was certain that if she hadn't been with him earlier in the Lobby, he would have thrown everything away and gambled until he didn't have a dime left. _I need to wrap up this case and get the hell out of here._

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They woke in each other's embrace. Booth didn't know how that had happened, but he knew that it was wrong. "Bones, wake up . . . come on Bones, wakey wakey. We need to get up."

Tired from a restless sleep, Brennan awoke and realized that she was lying in her side, her arm thrown around her partner. "I move around a bit when I sleep. Not to mention your room is cooler than it needs to be." Releasing her partner, she moved to the side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. "I'm going to go back to my room and take a shower. I'll be back in a while and we can go to breakfast."

Once she was out of the room, Booth decided he needed a cold shower. "I knew her staying in my bed was a mistake." Annoyed, he gathered up clean clothes and retired to the bathroom. _Fucking Vegas!_

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The case didn't go as smoothly as he would have liked. Being pulverized by a giant was not his idea of success. True he'd knocked the man down and won the fight, but now he was paying for his pummeling. His ribs, chest and shoulders were sore and covered in bruises. There were cuts on his face and brow and every muscle he owned seemed to protest when he moved.

They had found the murderer of Mason Roberts and Billie Morgan and they had been allowed to leave Vegas. _Finally!_

Booth had no intention of ever going back. The itch to gamble had almost been too much for him and he realized that just because he hadn't gambled for years meant nothing. His addiction was as bad as ever and he would have to attend a lot of Gambler's Anonymous meetings in the coming weeks to fix the craving he had to gamble. Was it worth going through that to catch a killer? Sure. Would he do again? No. His power to control his gambling was tenuous and he couldn't put himself in situations that could cause him to slip.

He stood up and faced his fellow addicts. "My name is Seeley and I have a gambling problem . . .. I had to go to Vegas as part of my job this week and I found out something I didn't realize about myself. I'm an addict and just because I haven't gambled for a long time doesn't mean jack. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a good friend with me, I would have gambled. I would have thrown away all of my hard work . . . The sounds and the lights . . . the sound of the winning . . . I'm weak when it comes to gambling and I can't ever put myself through that again. I have too much to lose."

Gavin Chadwick was Booth's sponsor and he was proud that Booth had recognized he had a problem and he had used his friend to help him. He knew it must have been pure torture to be in a place geared for gambling, but Booth had fought temptation and he had come out of it unscathed. Not everyone had the willpower to avoid that pitfall.

The meeting over, Gavin carried a cup of coffee over to Booth. "You look like hell." He had noticed the cuts and bruises and even though he was curious, he didn't ask. He knew that Booth was an FBI Agent and it was a dangerous job.

Chuckling, Booth touched his brow where a scab had formed and sipped his coffee. "You should see the other guy." The coffee was bitter and tasted awful, but it was hot and it had caffeine in it. "I was tempted . . . if it hadn't been for Bones, I would have gambled away every nickel I had and . . . well, I'm pretty sure Rebecca would have kept me away from my son once she found out and she would have. The last time I fell off the wagon, she threatened to keep me away from Parker. She wants to protect him . . . I . . . I have it under control right now, but not as much as I'd like to."

Gavin was a gambling addict too and he knew what Booth was going through. "It's tough, but you have to remember the big picture. You have a fine son, a great job and gambling could be the end of all of that . . . You had a close call and I'm sure you'll keep that in mind the next time. Addiction never goes away. We can avoid situations that put us at risk, but ultimately we have to want to not give in."

"Yeah." Booth sipped more of his coffee. "My partner was great. She kept an eye on me and helped me a lot . . . she thinks I'm a degenerate gambler. I keep telling her I'm a former gambler and I'm in the program, but I don't think she trusts me . . . she saw how I was in Vegas. She knew I was in trouble, so maybe she's right and I'm wrong."

He felt sad for Booth. The man tried so hard to live a normal life and his father's alcoholism put a lot of pressure on him. "She's wrong, Booth. You didn't gamble, so you're a recovering addict. Keep with the program. Keep that friend of yours and remember what you have to lose if you fail. You'll make it . . . would you like to pray?"

Booth placed the cup down on a chair and nodded his head. "Yeah, I would."

Together they prayed to God and hoped that he would help them as they both struggled to overcome their addiction. They knew they needed all the help they could get.

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	20. Chapter 20

(Aliens in a Spaceship)

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Oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had dealt with a lot of kidnapping cases while working with the FBI, but none of them had been personal. His partner had been kidnapped along with Hodgins and he had never felt so desperate to find someone in his life. The thought that Brennan and Hodgins might remain buried forever, dead in their underground tomb spurred him like no other case had ever done before. He was willing to use any means possible to find them including the threat to murder someone whom he had suspected of holding out on him. He didn't care who he harmed if they were in his way, he needed to find Brennan and Hodgins and nothing was as important as that.

Desperation can make someone mad with worry and woe to those who get in their way.

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Waking inside her car, buried underground, not knowing how long they had to live, Brennan had tried to contain her fear. Fear created chaos and irrational thinking when what she really needed was calm and logic. After taking an inventory of their supplies, Brennan knew that their biggest worry was the limited amount of oxygen that they had in the car. Two grown adults, one of them injured, they had about ten hours of oxygen available to them and once that supply was gone, they would fall asleep and then pass away never to see the light of the sun again.

Brennan didn't consider herself a victim. She hadn't allowed herself to panic that time her foster parents had locked her in the trunk of a car as punishment and she wasn't about to panic now. She had almost died in that hot sweaty car, but fate had intervened and her social worker had come to the house for an unplanned visit finding her just before she had died from hyperthermia. This situation was different in that the car she was in was buried underground this time, but she had advantages that her younger self hadn't had during her ordeal.

First, she was older and better educated. Second, she had Hodgins in the car with her and the man was a Philomath. He loved to learn new things whether or not they were part of his disciplines or not. He loved to learn for the sake of learning and that was going to help save them. Or at least Brennan hoped so. Science was going to help them stay alive long enough to either find a way out of their predicament or until someone rescued them. Dying was not an option. She would see Booth again. She would see her brother and his family. She wasn't a helpless sixteen year old girl. She was a strong independent woman and she had friends that cared if she lived or died. She would survive and so would Hodgins. They would survive or they would die trying.

Oooooooooooooooo

Worried, Zach tried to find his mentor, but there weren't enough clues to pinpoint where she was. Logic told him that he had ten to twelve hours to find Brennan and Hodgins and when that time period expired they would be dead. Calmly working through what evidence he had, he knew that it was possible he would never see Brennan or Hodgins again. Rationally, there was no way to find them and no way to aid them during their ordeal. Time was immutable and when the clock wound down to the end, then there would be nothing he could do to save his friends.

The pressure to find a solution was almost paralyzing. Booth was constantly telling him to do something, but what that something was the Agent didn't say. The agent wanted him to be Dr. Brennan, but there was only one Dr. Brennan and to fill her position was almost unthinkable. He tried, but what was he supposed to do? He had never been in such a situation before and he hoped he never was again.

When Booth had burst into the Lab with a message from Brennan, he had expected Zach to know what it meant. His mentor and friend were out of oxygen, time was up and the Agent wanted to know what the message on his phone meant as if that would help the situation. How could it? They were dead. Didn't he understand that?

And yet, Booth insisted that the clock didn't mean anything and perhaps he was right. Brennan had sent them a message from beneath the earth. This should have been impossible to do and yet it wasn't since Booth had the message on his phone. Perhaps the agent was correct and they had found a way to extend their oxygen supply. Perhaps the message was their only hope of finding them before it was too late.

After trying to figure out who the message was for, they all realized that the message was from Hodgins to Zach. It was a numerical message and that was the key. 6, 7, 16, Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. M1.4 was at the end of the message and that was the key. Brennan and Hodgins were buried in coal country and the 4 meant high concentrations of inertinite. He knew where they were.

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Cam had known working with geniuses was going to be difficult, but they also made her proud. Under intense pressure, Brennan and Hodgins had found a way to send a message that helped their friends locate them and she knew that luck had nothing to do with it. Her people were calm and cool under pressure and working with Zach and Booth at the Lab while Brennan and Hodgins were trapped underground made her realize just how tightly knit their group was. Each of them was an integral part of what made their team work. She was the outsider that knew how to aim her people in the right direction. When they bogged down, lost in minutiae, she was the one that shook up the team and made them think outside the box. Remove anyone from the team and they failed. As a unit, they could perform miracles like finding two scientists buried underground.

She knew that Booth was frantic to find Brennan. He might be dating her, but Cam knew that Booth's loyalty was with Brennan. She had known that from the beginning of their affair and she had accepted that. Cam wasn't stupid. She was very observant and she had seen the signs after just a few weeks of working at the Lab. Booth was in love with his partner, but either out of fear or honor he had not made a move towards Brennan.

After working with Brennan for those same few weeks, she knew why. Brennan was not willing to entangle herself in personal relationships. Cam wasn't certain why, but she did know that Booth would never force his affections on his partner. That wasn't who he was and Cam felt sorry for both of Booth and Brennan. She knew that the partners would probably continue to be good friends once this was over, but they would be too afraid to move their relationship further. She hoped the experience of being kidnapped and being buried alive would force Brennan to see that everyone's future was unpredictable and that throwing away love was a waste of happiness.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Hodgins had been certain he was going to die. He had yearned for Angela for a long time and he knew he was crazy about her and yet he had been too afraid to do anything about it. They were complete opposites and they were likely incompatible and yet he didn't care. Brennan was about to blow the windshield out of her car in an attempt to rescue them and it was possible Angela would never know that he had died thinking of her. She would never know that he loved her and that was the saddest ending of a human life that he had ever heard of. He vowed that when he got out of this mess, if he got out of this mess, he would tell her.

He had been a coward for too long. What was the point of loving someone and not telling them? He had been living a coward's life and that would end very soon. He would either die trying to help himself or he would live and if he was that lucky he would not throw his second opportunity away. God was giving him a chance to get things right with Angela and he would.

He would not live a lie anymore. He was in love and he was not going to hide that anymore.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The windshield shattered and Brennan and Hodgins knew that they had only moments to start moving. Hodgins was hurt and he moved slower than Brennan did, but he had great upper body strength to make up for his weak legs. Gravel and dirt were rapidly filling up the car and they both started to move upward, pushing the gravel and dirt away as they tried to move through the loose detritus. They were both frantic. They knew that they were fighting against impossible odds, but they were both desperate to live.

Hodgins thought of Angela. He needed to see Angela and no matter how much rock and gravel was between him and the open sky he would fight to get to her. He had never loved anyone like he loved Angela and he would die trying to get to her.

Brennan moved through the rock and soil with methodic movements. She was holding her breath and she hoped she had enough in her lungs to keep her alive until she broke free to the surface. Her thoughts were on her partner. Would he know that she had tried to live? Would he know what she hadn't give up? Would she fail and die before she was free, buried until someone found her remains? She couldn't fail. She must not fail. She wanted to see Booth. She wanted to live and nothing was going to stop her.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The puff of smoke meant one thing, Brennan and Hodgins were alive and Booth was determined to help them. He raced down the hill followed by his companions. He raced like the wind leaving them all behind. Arriving at the disturbed earth, he started scooping out gravel and dirt with his bare hands. His partner and Hodgins were beneath him and he would dig them out by himself if he had too. As he scooped the gravel away to the side he hoped to see signs of Brennan and or Hodgins. Finally, he saw a hand and frantically pushed the dirt away freeing his partner.

The rest of the squints arrived at the scene and they started searching for Hodgins. After Booth moved Brennan to safety, he helped to dig out Hodgins and was grateful when the gasping man was freed.

Scurrying back to where Brennan was, he found her exhausted, bruised and very dirty, but well enough to smile at him. He was filled with relief. Booth had feared he would never see her again. In the frantic hours since her kidnapping he had thought about what he would do when he found her, but in the end he just sat there staring at her. She was alive and he could live as well.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

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	21. Chapter 21

(Judas on a Pole)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The burned and gutted body found on the roof top was linked to her father and Brennan was horrified. She knew that her father and mother had been con artists. They had robbed safety deposit boxes for a living working with a strong-arm gang until a bank robbery had gone horribly wrong and they had fled to Illinois with their family. She had known that her father wasn't a good man and though Vince McVicar had tried to make her believe that her father had killed her mother, she had never believed it. Booth hadn't allowed her to believe it. He was certain that McVicar had killed her mother, but before the man could go to trial, the man had been killed in prison by another prisoner. The prisoner had hinted that Max had ordered him to kill McVicar, but Booth wasn't sure if they should believe him. She doubted Booth's take on the situation, but she had dared to believe that her father was innocent of murder, but now she had been proven wrong.

The victim on the roof was Garret Delaney, a former FBI Agent and the current head of security for a Big K Lobbyist firm. A Columbus coin and a piece of paper had been jammed down the man's throat and that pointed to Max Keenan. Columbus had been the FBI's code name for Max and that meant that Max had done the unthinkable. He had murdered a man.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Russ had never been as afraid as he was at that moment in time. His father had called him and warned him that he and his sister were in danger. He didn't know what the danger was, but he had been feeling for the last few weeks that he was being watched. His father's warning had confirmed that he had a right to be afraid and he needed his sister to take the warning seriously. But of course, she didn't.

She worked and was friends with an FBI Agent, a sniper trained FBI Agent and she wasn't afraid at all. That worried Russ. His sister might be too brave for her own good. She thought that she was protected by Booth and in a way that might be true, but if someone really wanted to kill her then Booth wouldn't be able to stop it. She and her partner didn't live together and he wasn't around 24/7.

To protect Amy and the kids he had stayed at Brennan's apartment. If someone really wanted him dead, he didn't want his family killed with him. He loved them too much to place them in danger. He had told Amy to tell anyone who called about him to say that she didn't know where he was. He hoped it was enough to protect her.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

For fifteen years he had lived a quiet life in Coos Bay, Oregon. He had changed his name to Art McGregor and he worked as an electrician. He had tried to keep an eye on his children from a safe distance via friends and acquaintances and he had not interfered in their lives unless necessary. A couple of trips back east had taken care of dangerous people that had wanted his daughter dead or injured, but no one had known he'd been anywhere near Temperance and he wanted to keep it that way. His friend Carl had joined the same Aikido class that Temperance belonged to and he called Max once in a while to tell him about his daughter. She was doing well, better than her brother and Max was glad for those tidbits of news, but ever since his daughter had identified Christine Brennan's remains things had started to escalate in the wrong direction.

He had tried to stop the escalation by having Vince McVicar killed, but that hadn't stopped anything. His warning to the corrupt FBI Deputy Director Kirby and his cronies to back off hadn't worked, so he had thought laying low might still solve the problem. It hadn't.

Max'd had plastic surgery done on his face right after Christine had died. He had hoped to live out the rest of his life on the west coast and as far from his children as possible. He was a danger to them and anyone else that knew him, but now his staying away was endangering his children's lives in ways he hadn't dreamed of. Deputy Director Kirby was feeling mortal and vulnerable and the identification of Christine had shown him who and where Max's children were.

Friends had let him know that someone was looking for him, leaving no stone unturned and one of his friends had called to let him know that it looked like someone had taken an interest in Russ. Torn, he wasn't sure what to do. If he showed up as Max Kennan in Washington D.C. or anywhere else, he'd be arrested and probably killed. He still had the notebook and tapes that belonged to Augustus Harper, the murdered FBI Agent and Kirby wanted that stuff very badly. If he had to, Kirby would kill him and his son and daughter to get those items. Whatever he did, Max needed to be careful and he needed to do everything under the radar.

It seemed that Kirby had planned to use Russ to get to Max and he had ordered Delaney to stalk Russ and kill him. Max had shown Kirby that was a bad idea by killing and mutilating Delaney and he had hoped that might be the end of it, but it wasn't. Kirby and his crew were desperate to get their hands on Max and he knew that he would have to become someone else again to try to stop Kirby. He would have to reappear in his daughter's life. He just hoped he didn't cause her a lot of trouble. It was going to be a very thin rope to walk on.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Her brother had surprised her by introducing her to Max's old childhood friend, Father Toby Coulter. Brennan wasn't religious and she knew that her father hadn't believed in a formal religion when she had lived with him as a child. It was odd, to have a priest visit her, but he had carried a message from her father and Booth had been there to hear it with her. 'Back off'. A message she had to ignore.

While they were working the Delany case, Booth and Caroline Julian had been side tracked. The piece of paper found in Delany's mouth had pointed to the fact that the late Augustus Harper had not been murdered by Marvin Beckett. The exhumation of Harper and Booth's interest in the case had eventually ended in Kirby firing Booth. Booth had been shocked, but he had known that Kirby was calling the shots and he had left the Hoover.

Appalled that such a thing could happen, Brennan and her co-workers worked on examining Gus Harper's remains and it was determined that he had been killed by a military sniper. Angela dug up the list of snipers working for the Feds in the 70's and that list contained Robert Kirby's name.

Since Kirby knew who and where Russ was, Brennan had called her apartment to warn Russ, but there had been no answer. When she and Booth had arrived, they had found a large pool of blood in the living room and Brennan had assumed that her brother had been killed. What she didn't realize was that the blood was Kirby's.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

After someone had taken a shot at Russ at the Diner, Max had realized that it was time to take care of Kirby and his crew. He arranged a job interview for Russ and while his son was gone, Max had hidden in his daughter's apartment. He knew that Kirby still hoped to use Russ to force him out into the open.

Sooner than expected, Kirby had shown up at Temperance's apartment looking for Russ. Holding a gun on Kirby as soon as the man entered the living room, Max examined the man who had been responsible for so much pain. "Vince McVicar was in witness protection. Once the rest of his crew was dead you kept him alive to use him. He killed my wife and I blame you for that."

"You took something that didn't belong to you." Kirby held a gun in his hand, but it was pointed at the floor. He hoped that Max would make a mistake and he could kill him. The man had been a thorn in everyone's side for almost thirty years. "All you had to do was mail it to the FBI, but you kept it. That was a mistake . . . You have no idea who you're dealing with. You think this is just about me? You think this is about Delaney? This is bigger than either of us. I answer to a higher authority. Gus Harper was going to blow up something that he should have left alone. He dared to go after greater men than he was and I was ordered to take care of him just like I'm going to take care of you."

Amused, Max smirked. "Well, maybe you can try from Hell." Shooting Kirby in the heart, he watched the man fall to the floor. "No one threatens me or my kids. No one."

He stored Kirby's body in the trunk of his car and once he had given his daughter the Harper notebook and the key to a safety deposit box where the tapes were, Max was free to clean up his mess. He gutted and burned Kirby's body and hopefully this mysterious group of people that Kirby worked for got the message. Fuck with Max Kennan and his family and you'll die. He couldn't be clearer than that.

Oooooooooooooooo

After Booth unlocked the cuffs from Brennan's wrists he had massaged them. She was angry, upset and sad that her father had fled with her brother and he wasn't sure what to say to make it better. "Bones, Max killed Delaney and Kirby, we both know that. He couldn't stay he had to run. I'd have arrested him if I could."

"He didn't have to take Russ with him." Brennan pulled her wrists from her partner's hands. "Russ is going to be in violation of his parole by going with Dad. He abandoned Amy and the kids, just like Dad did to me. This family . . . we're not a family. We were never a family."

Not willing to let her throw her relationship away with her brother, Booth tried to reason with her. "Come on, Bones. Russ is your brother and Max is your father . . ."

"No, they are not my family." Brennan was heartbroken. The only members of her family she had left had run away and they had left her behind. If they had asked her, she would have declined to go with them, but that was beside the point. They hadn't asked her. "They don't care about me. I'm nothing to them."

Staring at Caroline's smashed car. Booth ran his hands through his hair. "Caroline is going to have my hide when she sees her car . . . Look Bones, I'm going to call Cam to come and get us. I'll get a wrecker to pick up the car and then I'll talk to Caroline . . . Kirby is dead, Delaney is dead . . . I don't think we need to worry about anyone coming after you. We'll give Caroline the papers and the safety deposit key that Max gave you and that will be that . . . I just hope I can get my job back."

"What will you do, if you can't." Worried about her partner, Brennan turned to face him. "Kirby was corrupt. Surely you'll get your job back."

He appreciated her concern, but the decision wasn't in his hands. "If they don't give me my job back, I'll try to get a job at ATF or maybe the CIA. They've offered me a job at Langley a few times . . . If all of those options fail, I can always go back into the Army." He hoped none of that became necessary. Losing his partnership with Brennan would be awful, but his life had never worked out like he thought it should anyway. "We'll see. Don't worry about it for now."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Max got a call from his friend Carl. "Max, Booth got his job back, so Temperance still has her partner . . . The Attorney General looked over Harper's notebook and listened to the audio tapes and he's going to use that to go after the rest of Kirby's people. This turned out better than I thought it would."

 _I haven't seen anything in the news yet, but I'm glad to hear that Booth got his job back._

"Ha! You won't hear about half the stuff that is going on right now." Carl sipped his coffee and noticed Caroline Julian walking towards his office. "I got to go, Max. Keep your head down and watch that son of yours. I'll keep an eye on Tempe." Ending the call, he placed his phone back down on his desk. "Ms. Julian, how are you today?"

"I could be better." Caroline sat down on the chair in front of his desk. "Russ Brennan damaged my car when he and that father of his took off. He should get the death penalty for that alone."

Chuckling, Carl shook his head. "Why don't you buy a new car? I'm always worried that the engine is going to fall out of that heap of yours someday."

"Humph." Caroline was not amused. "That car is a classic . . . Now that Kirby is dead, I've heard that you might be in line for his job."

Carl shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, probably . . . we arrested four field agents, one tech and we've arrested three retired FBI Agents. This is going to give the FBI a blackeye. You know old cases will be opened back up because of this. Lawyers are going to claim that their clients were railroaded by the corrupt FBI. We will have to look at any cases that Kirby and his cronies were involved with. You and your boss are going to be dealing with this for months."

Shrugging her shoulders, Caroline knew that what Carl had said was true. "Well, at least we know we can trust the agents we have left. I just came by to see if Seeley Booth has been rehired."

"Of course." Carl leaned back against his chair. "He and that partner of his exposed deep corruption here at the Hoover and because of them, it's being taken care of. If we didn't hire Booth back, we would have a very big public relations nightmare on our hands. He was the white hat in this mess . . . He's been Senior Special Agent for a while, but I think the Director is thinking about making him a Supervisory Special Agent. He deserves the promotion."

"I think so too." Satisfied that her favorite agent was going to be fine, Caroline stood up. "You know if you hadn't hired him back the CIA would have poached him. They've wanted him over at Langley for quite a while. I'm friends with one of the Assistant Deputy Directors over there and he called me this morning to see if I knew Booth's status."

Disgusted, Carl shook his head. "Those bastards. They're always trying to poach the best and brightest. Well they can forget about Booth. He belongs to us." Once Caroline was gone, Carl stared at the picture of his wife sitting next to computer. If Max hadn't had plastic surgery, his wife would look a lot like him. Sally was Max's cousin and the only relative he had left besides his kids. It was a trial being related to Max Keenan even if it was by marriage.

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	22. Chapter 22

(The Man in the Cell)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Driving over to the prison, Booth broke the news to his partner. "I've been promoted to Supervisory Special Agent. Deputy Director Fairburn let me know about it an hour ago."

"Deputy Director Fairburn? Is he the one that was promoted to Kirby's position?" Brennan was a little anxious. What would Booth's promotion mean? Would it affect their partnership?

"Yeah, he was an Executive Assistant Director for Criminal, Cyber Response and Services Branch." Booth noticed smoke ahead and knew that it was coming from the prison. "Carl Fairburn should make a good Deputy Director. He used to work in the Criminal Investigation Division before that. Since Kirby's people were arrested, we've had a few holes to fill. The Director trusts Fairburn, so he got the promotion."

Her worry growing, Brennan turned in her seat to face Booth. "Will you still be my partner? Your new job is a supervisory position isn't it? It is in your title."

Recognizing the worry in her voice, Booth glanced at his partner then back at the road. "Hey, don't worry about that. Fairburn told me that as long as I can keep up with my job, I can still be the liaison with the Jeffersonian. Our record is too good to break us up. I'll still be your partner. I'll just have more paper work and budgets to deal with that's all."

Relieved, Brennan smiled. "Good. I only work with the best, you know that Booth. I won't work with another agent."

"And you don't have to, so don't worry about it." They were closer to the prison. "Okay, remember, stick close to me while we're there. All you need to do is identify Epps' body and then we can leave."

"I know. I can take care of myself. We may have to have the body sent to the Jeffersonian to make sure the burn victim is Epps. It will depend upon how badly charred the body is." Brennan watched the road ahead. "I don't feel any empathy for Epps. He killed several women and he showed no remorse. His partner almost killed you a few months ago. If he has died, then he got what he deserved."

Booth nodded his head. He hated Howard Epps and he was glad the man was dead. "I'm with you Bones. Good riddance."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Of course, life is never easy. Epps had murdered a fireman and had escaped from the prison he was being held at. With the death of the firefighter Donald Kent that meant that Epps had killed seven people that they knew of. The man was dangerous and no one was safe while he was free.

Booth arranged to have security at the Lab doubled and he made himself Brennan's bodyguard. He knew that Brennan would be a target and he would not let Epps take his partner from him. He worried about her and Cam and all of the people at the Lab. He had to find Epps as fast as possible. If only he had not listened to Amy when Epps was barely hours from being executed. He had let her doubt of the man's guilt work on him and in the end, Epps had been proven to be a worse monster than they had thought. Their investigation had turned up two more bodies. Both of them victims of Epps. They had stopped his execution, so he could be tried for the murders of those young women and that allowed the murderer time to find a way to escape. The deaths that Epps was committing now was due to that decision to seek justice. He had been responsible for stopping Epps' execution and it was his duty to find Epps and stop him from hurting anyone else. He just hoped he could do it quickly before anyone else was murdered.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

While on the loose, Epps decided to play games and the pieces he used in his game were human beings. He approached Booth's son at a popular carousel and Booth felt something he rarely felt, panic. He was usually calm when it came to dealing with criminals and investigations, but the thought of Epps talking to his son, giving him an ice cream cone that could have easily been poisoned sent a cold shiver down his spine. His little boy could have been kidnapped and killed and that made Booth more determined to capture Epps.

He demanded that everyone he worked with up their game because of Parker's close call with the serial killer and because of that Cam hurried a procedure during the autopsy of Caroline Epps knowing that it was risky and almost paid for it with her life.

Cam's injury had caught everyone by surprise. Epps had hidden a fragile glass vial in the skull of his ex-wife and when Cam cut into the skull it released a toxin that almost killed her. Epps had played a game with Cam's life and Booth hated him even more. He couldn't believe that one man could create such havoc in such a short period of time. Booth felt like he was being punished. If he had allowed Epps to be executed, then his son wouldn't have been put at risk and Cam wouldn't have come close to dying. The only thing that kept Booth steady was the fact that his partner was there with him trying to find Epps. Her calmness helped him think more rationally.

The game ended when both Booth and Brennan figured out what the end of the game was supposed to be. Epps considered Brennan to be the epitome of all that he hated in women. She was strong and independent and Epps wanted to punish her for that.

The clues were there and once they put them together, both Booth and Brennan had known that she would be Epps' final target. She had waited for Epps to enter her apartment from the closet next door and Booth had entered the apartment armed and prepared to put an end to Epps's sick game. The fact that the serial killer wasn't prepared to end the game on Booth's and Brennan's terms had not really surprised Booth.

The man had leaped over the bedroom balcony intending to end his life, but Booth had tried to save him. Without the help of Epps, he had no chance of accomplishing that and Epps made the final move in the game. He hung from Booth's hand until the agent couldn't hold him anymore. He taunted the agent and tried to make the agent think he was responsible for his death.

He succeeded.

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She looked better than the last time he had seen her. Cam looked frail, her skin was pale and her lips were dry, but she was alive and that was the important part to Booth. "Hey, I saw your father in the waiting room."

"Yeah." Cam had dreaded her family coming to the hospital since she knew that they would be aggressively outspoken about her care. As a coroner and a physician, she knew that nurses worked under strenuous conditions and having someone second guessing what they were doing just adds to their burdens.

Her response told Booth that her father was being a pain, but hey that was what fathers did when their children were in trouble. At least he knew that was how he behaved when it came to his son. "Epps is dead." He sat down next to the bed and grasped Cam's hand in his hand. "He jumped off the balcony of Brennan's apartment. He was going to kill her, but she was ready for him with that cannon hers . . . I got there right after she confronted him . . . he didn't want to go back to prison so he decided to kill himself . . . Cam we need to talk."

Aware that Booth was struggling, she thought she knew why. "Hey, Parker is safe . . ."

"No, Cam, no." Booth sighed. "I'm talking about pressuring you to bypass procedures and to cut Caroline Epps' head open. You did what I wanted and you almost died. This is my fault."

"Nonsense." Cam gripped his hand harder to get his attention. "I was the one who decided to bypass procedure. Even if I was in a hurry, I could have worn a mask. It was my decision, not yours. I'm the one that caused me to be poisoned not you . . . well, Epps was the one that caused me to be poisoned and he's dead, so that's a satisfactory outcome as far as I'm concerned. The little weasel needed to die and if he chose to jump off a balcony then good riddance."

Even though Cam's grip was painful, Booth chose to ignore it. "Cam, there are certain people that shouldn't date . . . we work together. Every day we have to deal with decisions that can affect our co-workers, our partners. You and I were in a relationship and that put a lot of pressure on you when my son became part of Epps' sick game. If we had just been coworkers, you wouldn't have felt driven to do what you did . . . My work can be dangerous and that danger spills over onto you and Bones and Hodgins and Angela . . . and my son . . . It's okay to be friends, we'll always be friends, but having a relationship with me is just a line we can't cross. I can't put you or Bones in danger like that. I just can't do it."

She knew he was breaking up with her and she knew that his reasons were keeping her from saving their relationship. "Alright, I understand." And she did. "We did have fun though."

"Yeah, we had fun."

She released his hand and knew that she had been holding his hand too tightly but being Booth, he had let her. "I'm going to be alright. Dad wants me to go back home with him for a few weeks. He wants to pamper me and I think I'm going to let him."

Booth chuckled. "I bet that lasts four days, tops."

Her eyes bright, a smile on her lips, Cam shook her head. "I won't take that bet . . . You look tired. Go home."

Feeling sad, he leaned over and kissed her gently on her lips. "I'm sorry, Cam. I love you, but I think this is for the best."

"Yes, I love you too, big guy. We'll go back to the way it was between us and everything will be fine." She didn't know what else to say. Booth had been her friend for a long time and he would continue to be. "Hey, if I need a ride back from Dad's place, I'll call you. I might need a knight in shiny armor four days from now."

"You got it."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in church, Booth stared at the alter and thought about Epps on the balcony. _Did I drop him? Did I kill Epps? I had his hand in mine . . . he was heavy, but I held him as long as I could . . . he wanted me to be like him, a murderer, but I'm not him . . . I didn't drop him . . . did I?_ He rubbed his forehead. He had been trying to recreate what had happened in his mind, over and over. He had Epps' hand in his firm grip and then he didn't. _Did I kill him? I don't know . . . I'm not him . . . I'm not like that sorry son of a bitch. I'm not . . . am I?_

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

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	23. Chapter 23

(The Girl in the Gator)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

So, shooting an ice cream truck wasn't the brightest thing he'd ever done. After Deputy Director Fairburn read him the riot act, Booth was banished to his office where he was told he'd have to stay until he'd met with a psychiatrist to see if he was fit to be a federal agent. Fairburn had pretty much told him until the psychiatrist said he wasn't nuts, he couldn't have his gun or his badge back.

In the meantime, his partner was on the way to Florida to see about a body that had been found in a swamp and he couldn't go with her.

The fact that he had to see the psychiatrist the next day just made the situation worse. He managed to get Special Agent Tim Sullivan assigned as Brennan's temporary partner, but she was less than pleased and she let him know it. _Why did I have to shoot a fucking ice cream truck? Am I nuts? I hope not. I really hope not._

Oooooooooooooooooooo

He found the psychiatrist at the man's home. Why he couldn't meet him in an office was beyond him. Booth introduced himself and tried to get the shrink to release him back into the wild, but Gordon Wyatt hadn't complied. "Do you mind if I ask you what exactly it was you did?"

Taking the bull by the horns, Booth explained. "Yeah, I shot a truck . . ."

"Full of terrorists, no doubt or plutonium or fleeing felons . . . was it?"

Embarrassed, Booth grimly tried to explain. "No, it was an ice cream truck. The music, it was bothering me."

"Ah."

"Yeah, there was a speaker in the clown's mouth." Booth was certain the shrink was judging him, but he could only tell his side of the story and hope he understood. "Yeah, I pulled out my gun you know and I . . ." He pretended to show him by pretending to pull his gun and shoot it. "It was gone."

Calmly and just a little fascinated, Gordon nodded his head. "So, the FBI sent you to me because you shot a clown?"

Exasperated, Booth shook his head. "Not a real clown!"

And of course, the shrink wanted him to cogitate about it while he made tea. Cogitate? Tea? What the hell? Much to his aggravation, the doctor served his tea and even though Booth told the man that he had paid for the clown head and he'd apologized to the ice cream truck driver he didn't seem to be impressed and left to go shopping for supplies to build a barbecue.

Staring at the supplies the doctor has already bought surrounding him, Booth decided to start the work on the barbecue pit and hopefully that would put him in the good graces of the doctor. "Can't a man lose his temper sometimes? It's not like I meant to kill anyone. I'm not that nuts, am I? I mean I hit what I aim at. I didn't shoot the ice cream truck owner. Doesn't that prove I was just pissed off? Damn it."

Oooooooooooooooooo

For two days, Booth tried to give the psychiatrist the answers he thought the man wanted to hear, but each time he was shot down. He didn't know what the psychiatrist was fishing for, but Booth was starting to get desperate. After mentioning breaking up with Cam, he tried to blame his anger on not being able to let the women in his life go, but Gordon didn't believe him. It had been worth a shot, but that left him with nothing to say and no signed release form.

Anxious to get back to work, he returned to Gordon's house that evening and tried to talk to him. He ended up talking about Howard Epps which was the furthest thing he wanted to talk about and confessed that he might be irritable because of that case. He told Gordon about Epps jumping over the rail, joked about it and found himself defending himself. How Gordon got the idea that he thought about suicide was beyond him. His joke had fallen over like a lead balloon and Booth was sure that the doctor thought he really might be nuts or suicidal or both. The situation was ridiculous. He would never kill himself.

 _Fuck! Why did I have to talk about Epps? It wasn't my fault the bastard jumped over the railing. He did it because he didn't want to go back to jail. I was glad to see the guy splatter the sidewalk . . . wasn't I? The guy tried to kill Brennan. He threatened Parker. I'm glad he's dead. That doesn't have anything to do with me shooting the clown head. I was just pissed off. I'm not Epps. I don't murder people. He killed himself. I'm not Epps, damn it! I'm not him!_

 _Oooooooooooooooooooo_

Did he kill Epps? Booth didn't know. In his mind, he had added Epps to his list of people he had killed in the past. 49 people and Epps had made 50 and yet he didn't really know if Epps belonged on the list or not. "I had him and then I lost him . . . and . . ."

"And something happened in between." Gordon had finally got to the crux of the agent's problem.

"I don't know." Ever since Epps had died, he had been trying to figure out what had happened. For one long moment he'd had Epps' hand in his hand and then Epps was falling to the pavement below. Did he drop him? Did he murder Epps? He hoped not, but Epps was dead and he had been the one holding the killer's hand before he fell.

Glad that he had finally got the agent to open up, Gordon solemnly replied, "I believe you because for a man like you to admit that you don't know, to relinquish control, that could indeed argue a disruption in you self-view that was large enough to motivate you to shoot a clown . . . Do you know? I think we made marvelous progress. This is a place from which we can certainly begin."

Booth wasn't sure what had happened. Had he admitted that he had murdered a man or had he convinced the doctor that he hadn't? The sight of Epps falling, the fear on the killer's face knowing that he was about to die was hard to forget and the thought that he had been responsible for Epps' death . . . He didn't know if that was true or not. Would he ever know?

After eating dinner with Gordon, after the psychiatrist signed the release form that allowed Booth to go back to work and carry his gun, the agent dropped by his church on the way home. It was late and the church was empty of parishioners, at least for the moment. Sitting in the back of the church, Booth stared at the image of Christ behind the alter and tried once more to put Epps' death behind him.

"He wanted to die, but he wanted me to blame myself. He wouldn't help me save him . . . he just hung there . . . how long did I think I could hold him? . . . forever? He wanted me to be the murderer he was, but I'm not. I don't kill just to kill. I get the green light and I do my job. Those deaths weren't my decision and Epps, his death wasn't my decision either . . . he wanted to die and he died and I won't mourn his death. He was a monster. He went after my partner, my son . . . my son . . . I didn't let him go . . . I didn't let him go."

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	24. Chapter 24

(The Boneless Bride in the River)

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Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth feared few things, but the loss of his partner had to be at the top of his list. As far as he was concerned he had been a good partner and friend to Brennan for quite a while and now it looked like he was about to lose her, maybe forever.

If there was anyone to blame for this predicament, Booth felt it was him. If he had kept his shit together after Epps had died and hadn't shot at an ice cream truck, then Brennan would have never met Agent Timothy Sullivan. If he had just accepted that Epps had been in the driver's seat the whole time and he had died because he had wanted to, then what was happening now wouldn't be happening at all.

Sully had been a wreck since his partner had been killed. The man had had many jobs in his life, but they had all seemed to be a march forward toward being an agent in the FBI. Sully had loved being an agent until his partner had died and suddenly he was looking for something else to do. He was constantly talking about restaurants, coffee shops, sandwich shops and Booth had patiently listened, but things were different now.

Because of his mental break and his anger causing him to shoot the ice cream truck, Brennan had temporarily worked with Sully and after the case was over they had become lovers. At the time, Booth was working on his own problems and had kept Brennan's new relationship on the back burner. He had known her long enough to know that she didn't believe in love or marriage and anything that happened between her and Sully wouldn't be permanent. He had misjudged the situation and now there was nothing he could do about it.

Agent Sullivan had bought a boat and he was talking about quitting the FBI and doing tours in the Caribbean. The situation was dire because he was trying to take Brennan with him. To say Booth was shocked would be an underestimation of how he was taking the situation.

He wanted what was best for Brennan, but at that moment he didn't know what that was. He didn't think she'd be happy living a purposeless life, but how could he tell her that and not sound like he was trying to influence her. He wanted her to stay, but he couldn't bring himself to talk her into staying if she really wanted to make a change in her life. Her leaving would hurt, but if she stayed and was miserable then they would both lose anyway, so when she asked for his advice, he had swallowed his fears and recommended she go with Sully. It wasn't what he wanted her to do at all, but in the end, he wanted her to be happy even if it was without him. He suspected that he loved his partner, but that wasn't something that would ever be reciprocated. Brennan didn't love him and he had no right to keep her by his side if she didn't want to be.

ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan was conflicted. She loved being the best at what she did. No one in the world was as good as she was in the field of forensic anthropology. She had worked long hard hours to get where she was. No one had handed her anything. She had done it all on her own and now someone that she liked, perhaps loved was asking her to give it all up and to join him in the Caribbean working on a boat, shuffling tourists around the islands. It was a decision she didn't take lightly, but no matter what decision she made she knew that she was going to pay an emotional price.

She loved working as a forensic anthropologist. Working at the Jeffersonian Institute added to her prestige and she knew that she was a valued employee. Without her, she doubted that the Medico-Legal Lab would be considered the best in the country as it was now. Her team was brilliant and she felt a lot of pride working with them. Then there was Booth. He was her friend. Besides Angela, she had never had a friend like Booth before. It wasn't too long ago that he had saved her life and she still felt the effects of being buried alive. She had also save Booth's life in the past and the fact that they could each count on the other to have their backs was not a minor thing.

Before she had worked with Booth, she had concentrated on working for governments to identify victims of pogroms and she had contracted with the United States' Department of Defense to identify unknown soldiers from past conflicts. Booth had given her a reason to leave the Lab and to expand her field of knowledge. She had become exemplary in discovering cause of death for cases that mystified the FBI. She helped close cold cases when she wasn't working on active cases and to work with an investigator as brilliant as Booth allowed her to expand her knowledge. She enjoyed being Booth's partner, but that could end if she left with Sully.

Her relationship with Sully was the most successful personal relationship she had ever had. He respected her and knew just how brilliant she was in her field. Sully was funny, caring and he loved her. She didn't really believe in love, but she wanted to. Sully made her think that love was possible and that was not a small thing. When her parents had abandoned her, she had come to believe that love was just chemicals that influenced your brain. How could love be real if your own parents didn't love you? If love was real, Max and Christine Brennan would have never left her behind to be raised by the state of Illinois. Russ would have never abandoned her.

And yet, her relationship with Sully had opened up other possibilities and she had been happy to explore them. She had found that she enjoyed Sully's company and she didn't want to give that up, but now he was talking about leaving the FBI, leaving the country and never coming back. She had thought she was investing in a relationship that would make her happy, but Sully wanted her to leave with him and she was far from happy.

The conflict was tearing her apart. If she left with Sully she would lose her friends and Booth. If she stayed, she would lose Sully. Why was she being forced to make such an awful decision? Why couldn't Sully see that her work was valuable? He thought that she should savor other pursuits and leave murder and death behind, but what she did had purpose. Why was his dream more important than what she wanted?

What made the situation worse was the fact that Angela and Booth had told her to go with Sully. They wanted her to expand her world, but the world that Sully wanted her to live in would ruin the career she had worked so hard to achieve. Was their advice sound? Did Booth really want her to go and break up their partnership? She had told him it would be for a year and he hadn't tried to persuade her to stay. The situation was confusing. If he valued her as a partner then why be willing to give that partnership up?

She had thought about it and decided that Booth was trying to give her permission to live the life she wanted. He was a good friend and in the end it was his willingness to let her go without a fight that had caused her to stay. It was confusing and she wasn't sure if she had interpreted everyone's motives correctly including her own, but she knew she could live with her decision. She would stay and let Sully leave without her. She had work to do and she couldn't do it on a boat. Sad that she was about to lose someone that she had grown close to, she let the tears fall that night unimpeded and when she waved good-by to Sully the next day she was certain that she had made the right decision.

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Happy. There was no other word he could use to describe what he was feeling, but the word relieved was a close second. He had been certain that Brennan would give up her position at the Lab and go with Sully, so when she stayed it was all he could do not to gloat at Sully's loss.

Booth didn't know why Brennan stayed. She wasn't one to explain why she did things, but whatever had made her stay was fine with him. He had thought that it was possible that Brennan loved Sully, but now that she was staying, Booth knew that wasn't true. After all, why would you stay if someone you loved was leaving?

"Bones, I'm glad you stayed." He cut up his fried eggs and mixed the pieces with his golden brown potatoes. "We make a great team and I'd have never found another partner like you."

"Of course you wouldn't have. I'm the best forensic anthropologist in the world." Brennan was still not sure why she had stayed. Did she stay because of her job or did she stay for other reasons? Unwilling to look at her motives too closely, Brennan sipped her orange juice. "You should know that by now."

Amused, Booth scooped up some of his eggs and potatoes. "Oh, I know. Believe me I know."

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	25. Chapter 25

(The Killer in the Concrete)

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Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain. During Operation Desert Storm, he had been a prisoner of war. He'd been beaten, spit on, his feet had been broken with a pipe and his leg was broken all in an effort to make him talk. Melvin Gallagher might be a big mob boss in West Virginia, but he had a lot to learn when it came to making people talk. If the Republican Guard couldn't make him talk then a small fry criminal didn't have a hope or a prayer as far as Booth was concerned. Realistic, he knew that the minute he answered Gallagher's questions he'd be killed and so his incentive to not talk was greater than the pain they were inflicting upon him. All he had to do was hold out until Brennan and her squints found him. _Yeah, that's all I have to do._

She was trying to be as calm as possible. Booth had disappeared after his visit to the hotel that Ice Pick Kennedy was supposed to be staying in and the FBI was looking for him, but Brennan knew that time was of the essence. She needed all the help she could get to find her partner and that included her father. She was currently angry with him for murdering Deputy Director Kirby and taking Russ with him when he fled the area, but she needed help to find her partner and she'd take what she could get. Surprisingly he had offered to help. She didn't understand his motive, but that was the least of her problems at the moment.

Max had known that handcuffing his daughter to a bench and then having Russ leave with him after he killed Kirby was going to upset his daughter, but he'd hoped that she would forgive him for that. He still wanted to make things right between them. He had hated the fact that they hadn't had any contact in the last fifteen years, but he had done that to protect her. Now that Kirby was dead and his gang had been rounded up, he didn't see why he couldn't have a relationship with his daughter. True, the FBI was looking for him and if he was arrested he'd be tried for murder, but he was willing to risk his freedom to contact Temperance. After several failed attempts to talk to her, he was surprised when she told him that her partner was missing and she needed help finding him. As her father, he would do everything he could to help find Booth. The Agent was one of the few friends his daughter had and if he could rescue him then it would be worth the risk of being arrested. Of course, he had no intention of being arrested, after all he had been on the run from very dangerous people for a very long time and he was still free and breathing, wasn't he?

Gallagher was losing patience and his 'lawyer' was still unable to find out whether or not Hugh Kennedy was dead or not. The idea of Ice Pick still alive and well made the crime boss nervous. If Kennedy was alive and he took it in his head to come after him, he knew he wouldn't be safe. Ice Pick would find him and ram one of his tools in the base of his neck and move on with his life leaving poor old Melvin Gallagher dead and forgotten. It was important that the Fed tell him if Ice Pick was still alive, but so far, the bastard wouldn't talk. He wasn't used to that kind of resistance from anyone and was on the verge of killing the FBI Agent and letting the chips fall where they may.

They had punched him, slapped him, dropped him on his back and had kicked him in his ribs. Booth was sure that one or more of his ribs were cracked or broken, but he knew that he could put up with more much more. He could see that the crime boss was starting to lose his edge. The man was growing impatient and just a little bit afraid. Booth wasn't sure how long he had before Gallagher gave up on the torture and just killed him, but he was still hoping that his partner would find him before that happened. He didn't want to die. He needed to live for his young son. The boy needed a father and he would try to stay alive as long as he could. He would endure any pain Gallagher put him through if it would mean he could see his son once more.

Brennan and her associates put as many of the clues together as they could and to her relief, they finally determined where Booth was being kept. With Max's help, Brennan burst into the airplane hangar and stopped Lightner from ramming a heated screwdriver in to Booth's eye. The 'lawyer' had already held the screwdriver against Booth's leg and when she got close enough she could smell the faint smell of burned flesh. As they charged towards Booth, both Gallagher and Lightner turned and ran. Lightner tripped and fell on his screwdriver and Gallagher ran into the arms of an FBI Swat team. Since Booth's rescue was her main goal she didn't bother to pursue her enemies. The FBI could do their job and take care of them for her.

While Brennan removed the bonds holding Booth to the chair, Max took that moment to flee the hangar. He knew that if he stayed, the FBI would arrest him and he needed his freedom for at least a little while longer. His campaign to win back Brennan's trust was only just beginning and like any good conman he knew how to be patient and was willing to spend a lot of time on one project. He had helped her save her partner and he hoped that would mean something to his daughter in the future.

Oooooooooooooooo

Once he was released from the hospital and they had made a trip to the diner for Booth to eat, Brennan drove Booth back to his apartment and made sure he was safely in his home. "Your ribs are cracked Booth, so you need to make sure you don't lift anything heavy . . . that includes Parker when you see him. I think the burn on your leg will leave a scar, but it won't be unsightly."

Since Booth had a myriad of scars on his body, he wasn't too worried about a scar on his thigh. "Yeah, that's okay . . . I knew you'd find me." Weary, he moved over to his recliner, sat down and moved the foot rest up so he could lean back. "Gallagher wanted me to tell him if Ice Pick was dead or alive, but I wasn't going to tell him that no matter what he did to me."

She admired how brave her partner was. She knew that he had suffered a lot of harm while he was a prisoner of war and as an abused child, so she knew that Gallagher hadn't known who he was testing. "It took longer than I hoped, but I'm glad I was able to find you. Max helped me as much as he could . . . I find I am confused about what to do about him." Brennan sat down on the couch. "He murdered two men that we know of. He is a wanted fugitive, but he risked his freedom to help me rescue you . . . I don't know what he wants."

"He wants to be your father, Bones." Booth's body was aching and he longed to sleep, but his partner needed his help. "He knows he screwed up your childhood and he's trying to make up for being out of your life for so long. He loves you." Yawning, Booth tried to settle his legs more comfortably. The burn on his right leg was bothering him, but he knew it was just a minor inconvenience. "Of course, I'm going to arrest him the next time I see him, but as long as he keeps away from me and anyone else in authority he should be safe enough . . . talk to him the next time you see him. See what he has to say."

She watched Booth yawn and close his eyes. "There is an arrest warrant out for his arrest. He murdered people. I don't know if I want to talk to him . . . He killed a Deputy Director of the FBI but he helped say a Special Agent. He is oddly contradictory."

Tired, Booth tried to stay awake, but failed. Brennan saw that it was useless to continue the conversation, stood up and covered his body with a blanket she retrieved from his bedroom. "Booth." She spoke softly to confirm he was asleep. When he didn't stir, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I am glad you're not dead, Booth. I . . . I would have missed you."

Before she left the apartment, Brennan made sure the windows were locked, the light was on in the bathroom and the rest of the lights in the apartment were turned off. Standing in the hallway, looking at her partner, she realized just how much she relied upon Booth to help her clear up her muddled thoughts about situations like her father and brother. "You're a good friend, Booth." Turning she left the apartment making sure the door was firmly locked behind her.

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	26. Chapter 26

(Stargazer in a Puddle)

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You show up at a wedding and you have certain expectations. If you're the Groom you wait for your fiancé to walk down the aisle, she stands next to you and you get married. If you're the Best Man, you stand next to the Groom, safeguard the wedding ring and give it to the Groom in a timely fashion making sure you don't lose it or drop it. Simple, right? Not when it comes to the people that Booth knew and worked with.

During the wedding of Angela Montenegro and Jack Hodgins a State Department official showed up, stopped the wedding and informed the Bride that she couldn't be a Bride because she was already married.

Surprise!

The artist had forgot she was married. Of course, except for Caroline, no one at the wedding found that out until a few days later when Jack and Angela returned to work. All they knew at the time was, the wedding was off and the reception was still on.

After the wedding was cancelled, Booth and Brennan were left standing in front of the minister with the responsibility of cleaning up the mess.

"Let's go to the reception. It's paid for anyway." Booth wasn't going to let a party go to waste especially if Hodgins was paying for it. Turning to face the disappointed attendees, Booth threw up his hands. "Hey, it's Angela and Hodgins. Let's go to the reception and have fun. We'll worry about what's going on later."

As the church emptied, Booth urged Brennan to follow the crowd down the aisle. "I can't say I'm surprised. I figured something odd was going to happen and it did . . . Look Bones, I meant what I said earlier. Your father gave himself up . . . well sort of . . . he chose to be arrested because he felt that if he abandoned you again, he'd lose you forever . . . He couldn't do that to you."

"Explain your black eye." Brennan felt like Booth wasn't giving her the entire story. "Did Max do that to you?"

"Yeah . . . I tried to arrest him and it started out okay . . . He said he'd go with me then he changed his mind and said he said he couldn't go quietly, that it wasn't in his nature . . . Your father is weird Bones." Booth stopped walking towards the exit which forced his partner to stop. "He wanted me to shoot him, but I couldn't do that. Too much paper work . . . anyway I had to fight with him to make him come with me . . . He could have got away after the fight because he uh . . . he hit me in my, uh . . ."

Fascinated, Brennan interrupted her partner. "He knocked you out?"

"What? No." Booth was younger, faster and in good shape. No way an old man could beat him. "He played dirty and he hit me in my . . . uh, groin area."

Her eyes wide, Brennan shook her head. "So, you were momentarily incapacitated, but he stayed and didn't run away."

"Yeah, he stayed." Booth still shuddered at the thought of the pain he had felt at the time he was punched. "You should go talk to him. He loves you and he wants to be your father."

Standing in the church, Brennan appreciated that they were now alone. "He brought me a tape, a recording of my mother. She said she was the one that insisted that they abandon Russ and me. Mom said that she and Dad did it to save our lives . . . she left me a ring. I was supposed to get it on my 16th birthday, but . . . well, she and Dad were on the run, I was in Foster Care and then she died . . . the ring belonged to my grandmother. Max gave it to me."

He could hear the sadness in her voice and it made him want to fix it, but there was nothing to fix. He couldn't bring Christine back to life and Max was going to go on trial for murdering a Deputy Director of the FBI. "It's nice you got the ring. You have something to remember your mother by."

"Yes, it's a dolphin ring. She always loved dolphins." Brennan started to move towards the exit. "I suppose we should go to the reception. I hope Angela and Hodgins are going to explain what is going on. First, they're in a hurry to get married and now they aren't. It's quite confusing."

After they moved through the exit, Booth closed the door behind them. "Whatever the reason is, the next time they get married they can count me out. Renting a tuxedo and then no wedding . . . at least we get to eat."

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His jacket hanging on the back on his chair, his tie in his jacket pocket, Booth enjoyed the glass of wine he had got from the bar. "Not bad stuff. I bet Hodgins paid a fortune for this shindig." His plate of food looked appetizing and it was free. "Shrimp, steak, potatoes with green stuff on it . . ."

"It's parsley potatoes." Brennan picked up her fork and tasted her portion of potatoes. "It's pretty good." She didn't eat meat, so she had declined to have the server place the steak or shrimp on her plate.

"Next time, take the steak and the shrimp and give it to me." Booth hated to see a good steak go to waste. "I could have given you my salad and the parsley potatoes."

Amused, Brennan smiled. "Yes, I wasn't thinking . . . I'm never going to get married. It's an antiquated ritual that serves no purpose in modern society."

He'd heard her make that statement before and decided that this time he wouldn't respond. In the past, he had tried to give her reasons why marriage was good for a thriving society, but she always countered him, they got into an argument and he didn't feel like fighting that battle at a wedding reception. "Hey the band is getting ready to play. After we eat, would you like to dance?"

Glancing around the room, Brennan noticed Cam and Zach sitting at a table, eating in silence. "Yes, I think that would be nice."

After their meal was finished, Booth stood up, presented his hand to Brennan and surprisingly she took it. Once they were on the dance floor, Brennan stepped closer to her partner and they began to dance a slow dance. "The band is excellent . . . I'm glad we came to the reception." She didn't dance often, but she enjoyed dancing and considered Booth to be a very talented dancing partner.

"Yeah." Booth saw a few smiles aimed at him and Brennan, but he ignored them. They were just partners no matter what anyone else thought. "This is nice . . . My mother taught me how to dance. She was pretty good and she wanted me to know how to dance . . . Who taught you how to dance?"

"Michael." Brennan found their dancing to be quite peaceful. "He was a very good dancer and loved to go to clubs on the weekend when time allowed."

Certain he knew the answer to the question, Booth cleared his throat. "Michael Stires?" If there was one person that Booth hated in Brennan's past it was her old professor. He considered Michael Stires to be a bastard and hated that Brennan had ever seen anything in him.

"Yes, of course." Her eyes closed as she swayed to the music, Brennan didn't see Booth's reaction. "No one had ever cared to teach me dancing before. I had studied aboriginal dancing while at the University, but Michael was the only one to offer to teach me dancing the way it is done in this country."

Tamping down his dislike, Booth grimly realized that Michael Stires might be an ass and he was certain the man had taken advantage of Brennan, but Michael had been a friend to Brennan when she needed one. She had been on her own for a few years when she entered University and at least she had one friend. "At least he was good at something."

"He was good at a lot of things, Booth." Brennan opened her eyes and studied his partner. "What he did was wrong at the Costello trial, but that doesn't negate the fact that at one time he was in my life and helped me navigate some of the social settings that was thrust upon me while I was going to school. It is difficult to evade all social functions and he escorted to me to a few functions that would have been rather intimidating if I had attended them by myself."

"Yeah, I get it." Booth decided to push Michael Stires back into the deep corners where he needed to stay. "But now you have me to escort you to functions. All you have to do is say the word. That's what friends are for."

Brennan smiled. "Yes, that is what friends and partners are for."

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	27. Chapter 27

(After 'Star Gazer in a Puddle')

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Oooooooooooooooooooooo

A noise at her office door caused Brennan to look up. "You're back."

"Yeah, we decided to come back to work." Angela entered her friend's office and sat down on the couch. "How was the party?"

"It was fine." Brennan waited for her friend to say something else, but she remained silent, so Brennan decided to push her. "Why did you call the wedding off? Did you get chilly feet?"

She had known she would have to explain what had happened, but she had hoped that Brennan wouldn't actually ask her. "Cold feet and no, neither Hodgins nor I had cold feet . . . I forgot I was married and the State Department decided to remind me that I am."

"How does one forget that they are married?" This conversation was starting to confuse her. "Wouldn't you remember marrying someone? I know I would remember."

Holding up her hand, Angela stopped Brennan's questions. "A few years ago, I was in Fiji and they were having a festival and I met this really handsome guy and . . . we jumped over a broom. I thought it would be a fun thing to do, but it turns out that was a legitimate wedding, so technically I'm married."

The explanation was bizarre. "What about your husband? Haven't you been in contact with him? Did he know that it was a real wedding? Will he give you a divorce? Do you want one? Did . . ."

Once more, Angela held up her hand and interrupted her friend. "Honey . . . No, I haven't been in contact with him. I don't know if he knew it was a real wedding or not and if I can find him, I will arrange to get a divorce. I love Jack and I want to marry him . . . There is a slight problem though . . . I don't know my husband's name . . . there was some drinking and fireworks and a lot of sex, but for some reason I can't remember his name . . . if I knew it."

Not wishing to overreact, Brennan slowly nodded her head. "I see . . . it will be difficult getting a divorce from him if you don't know his name . . . Well, I can see why the wedding was cancelled." She didn't know what else to say. Glancing towards the empty doorway, Brennan noticed Hodgins walking down the hallway towards his office. "There are many people who are waiting to find out why the wedding was cancelled. Have you told your father yet?"

"My father . . . no, I haven't told my father . . . I suppose I need to tell him." Angela was not looking forward to that conversation.

"Yes, I think you should." Brennan found the situation to be rather strange, but then again, her friend was a free spirit and anything was possible when dealing with Angela.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

As he entered his office, Hodgins noticed Zach in the corner of the room with a box on a table, placing some of his personal items in it. "Hey, what are you doing? Did Cam finally give you your own office?"

"No, I am packing up my things just in case my replacement needs the space." Zach placed the lid on the box and turned to face his friend. "I have to report to my unit in Iraq in six days."

"What? I told you to turn them down. You can't go to Iraq. You aren't soldier material." Hodgins was feeling sick. "Just because you got a letter from the White House asking you to do something doesn't mean you have to do it."

Not really surprised with Hodgins reaction, Zach carried his box over to Hodgins' desk and rested it there. "You have made it quite clear that you don't believe I should go, but I think I should. I gave my letter to Booth. He said he will explain why I am going to everyone for me since I don't seem to be capable of explaining it to anyone in a satisfactory manner."

"Look, Zach, you can't go. You . . . you just won't survive." Hodgins was terrified for his friend. He knew that Zach lived an insular life and that he was not prepared for life in the Army or in a combat zone. As far as he was concerned, his friend was about as helpless as a man could be and still be a grown man.

"I must go. My services as a forensic anthropologist is needed by my country. I am a patriot, Hodgins. I love my country and I want to come to the aid of my country. You really shouldn't ask me to not go, when I want to do my part." He was disappointed. "No one questions Booth's patriotism. Why are you questioning mine?"

Frustrated, Hodgins wanted to shake his friend. "Because Booth is a soldier's soldier. He can take care of himself and you can't."

His feelings hurt, Zach stared at Hodgins for a few seconds, picked up his box of personal possessions and left the room.

"Damn it!" Hodgins was afraid that Zach was going to get killed and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Close to panic, Hodgins charged into Booth's office, hurried over to the Agent's desk and leaned against it, fists down. "You have got to stop this."

"Stop what?" Booth wasn't sure what the squint wanted from him, but he was pretty sure he didn't care.

"Zach going into the Army. You have to make him stay." Hodgins pounded the desk. "He's going to get killed over there."

Standing up, Booth walked around his desk, walked over to the door and closed it. "Zach is an adult who wants to serve his country. If he wants to go then who am I to stop him?" Annoyed that Hodgins was showing him such disrespect, he walked over to where the man was standing and pulled him from his desk. "You come in here pounding on my desk and asking me for favors that I can't give is wrong. Zach has decided he's going and I'm backing his play. He got a letter from the President asking for his help. He's going and it's not up to me to try to stop him and it's not up to you either . . . Why are you treating him like this? Like a child? He's a man and you need to treat him like that."

"You and I both know that Zach is not soldier material." Outraged, Hodgins fought to control his temper, his fear. "He barely knows how to function in civilian society. He'll do the wrong thing and he'll die."

He knew that Hodgins might have a point, but it wasn't his life to live. Life was risk. God knew that he had been in plenty of jeopardy in his life and he wasn't worse off for it. "Zach has a right to serve if he wants to and it's not like he's going to actually serve in the military. He's got a contract and he's going to provide a service that the Army needs. I doubt he'll even be in harm's way."

"He'll be in a war zone. Of course he'll be in harm's way." He felt like he was talking to a brick wall. "He's not like you. He's never killed anyone before. He wouldn't know how to do that if he had to. You can kill someone and just walk away from that, but Zach would pay a heavy price if he killed someone. He's . . . he's Zach for God's sake."

Filled with white hot fury, Booth marched over to his office door, opened it and glared at the squint. "Get out and don't come back."

Filled with shame, Hodgins realized that he had let his mouth lead his brain. Not sure how to fix what he had done, he walked over to the door and paused. "I didn't mean what I said. I know killing someone isn't easy for you or anyone else. I just . . ."

"Get out." Booth pushed the man towards the door and once Hodgins was out of the room, he closed and locked the door. Fuming he walked over to his desk, sat down and turned his chair to stare at his medals. "Walk away my ass. No one walks away from something like that. No one."

Staring at Booth through the glass wall, Hodgins knew that he had hurt his friend and he did consider Booth his friend. Now, not only did he have to worry about Zach, he also needed to find a way to apologize to Booth. He had tried to help Zach and it may have cost him the Agent's friendship.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd worried about the situation all afternoon and finally realized that worrying was not doing anything constructive. He actually needed to fix the situation before it was too late.

Nervous about what he was about to do, Hodgins looked down at the toes of his shoes, hefted the bag in his hand and finally knocked on the door. Not sure what to expect, he held his breath as he waited for the apartment door to open.

"What do you want?" Booth wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation he'd had earlier that day with Hodgins. Being told he could just walk away from killing someone had felt like a punch to his guts.

"Look, I'm sorry." Hodgins was afraid that Booth wouldn't give him a chance to talk. "I was way out of line this afternoon. I was just talking and not thinking things through and I said some things that were awful . . . I didn't mean to imply that you can kill people and not be affected by that. I know that was wrong and I don't know why I said it."

Surprised that Hodgins had bothered to apologize, Booth stared at the man momentarily and nodded his head. "You need to think before you speak. I know you're upset about Zach, but I can't help you with that problem because I don't see it as a problem. He wants to serve and you need to accept that."

"Yeah, Zach isn't speaking to me because of how I reacted to his letter and his agreeing to go . . . I was just trying to protect the guy, but he doesn't want my protection." Clearing his throat, he handed Booth the bag he was holding. "A peace offering."

Taking the bag, Booth looked inside and found a box containing a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. "Wow . . . um, thanks." He hadn't asked for an apology or a gift, but he wasn't going to turn down a $200 bottle of Scotch Whiskey. "You should talk to Zach before he leaves. He'd probably like to know you're supporting him. It's not a small thing that he's doing. He needs support from his family and friends."

"You're right . . . I will, thank you." Rubbing the back of his head, Hodgins shrugged his shoulders. "I got to go . . . um, thanks."

Closing the door on the retreating squint, Booth stared at the contents of the bag in his hand. "Damn, the man has good taste. I'll give him that."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

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	28. Chapter 28

(After 'Stargazer in a Puddle')

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

He found his friend in his apartment, packing. "Zach, can I come in?"

His back towards his front door, Zach continued to study his bag's contents. "This apartment actually belongs to you, so you do have a legal right to enter if you wish to."

Embarrassed that his friend was being so formal with him, Hodgins stepped a few feet into the room, stopped and jammed his hands into his pants pockets. "When I said you could live here that meant that you have control of this apartment, Zach. If you don't want me here, I'll leave."

"You may enter." Removing a shirt from his bag, he replaced it with a t-shirt. "The army will provide me with appropriate clothes, but I feel like I should pack some civilian clothes too. I'm not really sure what to pack."

"Pack a razor for sure . . . some deodorant . . . lots of deodorant . . . um, toothbrush, toothpaste, stuff like that. Maybe some gum and some hard candy . . . I don't know what to pack either. Call Booth he'll know." Hodgins walked over to the chair near the coffee table and sat down. "Look, I'm sorry I talked to you like I did . . . I think you're making a mistake taking the contract with the Army, but it's your right to make that mistake . . . A friend told me that . . . take your phone and your charger, maybe an extra charger, so you can call me while you're there."

Zach turned at faced his friend. "Excellent advice . . . I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon."

A cold chill ran down Hodgins' back at the thought of his friend in a war zone. "Look, I've never been in any branch of the military, so I don't know what to tell you . . . follow orders and listen to the guys you're going to be working with. They'll know what to do even if you don't."

"That seems reasonable. Thank you. I will consider that suggestion." Zach didn't know what else to say. "I will be gone for a year, but I will contact you when I can . . . I expect to be busy, so that may not be often, but I will try."

Their conversation seemed to be at an end and Hodgins stood up. "Don't forget to listen to the experts and duck if someone shoots at you."

"Booth says that instinct will force me to do that." Glancing back at his bag, Zach sighed. "I think I will pack some books. I may need some reference material."

Before he left, Hodgins strode across the room, hugged his friend and left. He knew he would worry the entire time Zach was gone, but he couldn't stop what was happening. Booth was right. He had no right to try to force Zach to stay. His friend felt that he had to serve his country and that was that.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

A few days had gone by since Zach had shipped out and Booth had a case. After placing a call to Brennan to let her know, he had offered to pick her up and she had refused.

 _I'm sorry, Booth. Now that my intern is gone, I cannot leave the Lab. I must do his work as well as mine. Cam will meet you at the crime scene._

Shocked at this turn of events, Booth stared at his phone in disbelief. "But, you're my partner, not Cam."

 _I have a responsibility to the Lab first, Booth. Since I no longer have an intern my work load has more than doubled. Until I can find a replacement you will have to use Cam as your partner._

The call ended abruptly and that left Booth more confused than ever. "Well, Shit."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Upon arriving at the crime scene, Booth found that Cam had already arrived with Hodgins. Stalking over to where the body lay, the agent felt a cold anger enveloping him. "Is this how it's going to be? Bones said she won't come to crime scenes anymore until she finds a replacement for Zach."

Her eyes upon the victim, Cam shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently so . . . she made it clear that she is needed in the Lab since she doesn't have anyone to help her . . . but what do I know? I'm just her supervisor and we both know that means nothing in Dr. Brennan's world . . . I do have some candidates that I'm looking at, but she will have final approval."

"This is ridiculous." Booth pulled his notebook and pen from his jacket pocket and started to make notes about the crime scene. "She's my partner. I expect her to be at crime scenes doing her thing."

"Well, you can expect all you like, but she won't leave the Lab until we find a replacement for Zach. She's already dug her heels in."

His frustration growing, Booth glared at his friend. "How hard can it be to replace an intern? Just hire one of her grad-students. That's how she got Zach isn't it?"

Unable to stop himself, Hodgins laughed. "You do know Dr. B don't you? I mean you've been working with her for three years and you've known her for four . . . this is not going to be done quickly if at all."

"If at all?" Turning to stare at the entomologist, Booth shook his head. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Dr. B has very high standards . . . you know exactly what I mean." Picking up a larvae with tweezers, he placed it in a plastic dish. "Zach is the only intern she's ever had. She trained him to her specific standards. We'll be lucky if she finds a replacement in a few months."

Unwilling to believe Hodgins, Booth pointed his pen at the man. "A few months my ass. She needs to find a replacement now."

"Good luck with that." Hodgins thought Booth was keeping his head in the sand, but he'd understand sooner or later. Brennan didn't want to replace Zach.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The next few months seemed to go downhill as far as Booth was concerned. He couldn't get Brennan to go with him to crime scenes and he was starting to feel like he was being punished. It wasn't his fault that Zach had accepted a call to duty, but the only one that was partnerless was him and he didn't like it.

No matter how much he tried to entice Brennan to come with him to crime scenes she found a way to block him and say no. The search for a new intern was going nowhere fast and no matter how much he complained to Cam about it, it didn't change anything. Brennan had the final say in who her new intern was going to be and so far she had rejected everyone that had auditioned. "For God's sake, how hard can it be to find a new intern?" He had never been so frustrated in his life. He needed Brennan in the field, examining the bodies in situ not in the Lab doing intern work. Her stubbornness was causing delays in his cases and she didn't seem to care.

"You're preaching to the choir, Seeley." Cam could hear the anger in Booth's voice, but she couldn't help him resolve the problem. "I have a brilliant young man that I will be interviewing for the position in two weeks. If Dr. Brennan doesn't take him on then I don't know where we'll go from there . . . You just need to be patient.

"Patient?" Booth thought he had been more than patient. He was getting pressure from the Assistant Deputy Director about the situation. Hacker felt that if Dr. Brennan no longer wanted to work for the FBI she needed to let them know and they'd hire someone else to do her job. Booth had been appalled and assured his boss that the problem was almost resolved. "It's not me that's been impatient. My boss is starting to ask what's going on . . . Bones is risking our partnership and she doesn't care."

Cam knew that Brennan did care, but Zach's leaving had changed the dynamics at the Lab and she had been unable to fix it. "I'm trying Booth. Let's see what happens with Dr. Edison first."

A feeling of dread seemed to be taking over. "I'm losing my partner, Cam."

"Then fight for her, Seeley." Cam threw up her hands. "Find a case that will interest her. Maybe if you can get her to go to a crime scene that will change things. Talk to her, do whatever it takes to get her to want to leave the Lab because I don't think finding a new intern is going to change things."

Slowly, Booth nodded his head. "Alright. I'll find a case that she can't ignore . . . I'll put the word out and the minute I find a weird case I'll call her. She likes weird cases, she's good at solving those kinds of cases . . . I'll find one of those . . . I have to find one of those."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

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	29. Chapter 29

(The Widow's Son in the Windshield)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He had found the weird case he was looking for and had practically dragged his partner from the Lab to check it out, but it hadn't sparked Brennan's enthusiasm like he had hoped it would. The skull in the windshield had seemed very odd to Booth and he tried to convey a sense of wonder about it to his partner, but she was soon back at the Lab again.

Booth was getting pressure from his boss and his boss's boss about his partnership. They had given him an ultimatum and if Brennan didn't start working with him in the field again in the next two weeks their partnership would be over. This case was his last chance to get her to see that there was a problem. If she didn't work the case with him, he was going to have to tell her about the ultimatum. He was trying to avoid that situation since he knew that she could be stubborn and if she thought she was being blackmailed or coerced then she would let their partnership fail out of principal. He was walking a very narrow tightrope and he was afraid that nothing he did was going to get her back into the field.

Working steadily on the case, the victim had been determined to be a young musical prodigy by the name of Gavin Nichols. During the examination of the skull they had found some pink syenite. That had pointed to an old bank that had been closed for several years. In the basement they had found a vault and after breaking in to that room they had found it full of strange objects, valuable antiques and Gavin Nichols' violin. The most bizarre find was a human skeleton partially made of natural bone and silver bones. Brennan was excited about this discovery as well as the many historical relics kept in the vault and arranged to have the entire vault and its contents shipped to the Jeffersonian and installed in the basement.

Much to Booth's irritation, Brennan decided that she had years of research that would need to be done with the contents of that vault and she was now firm in her determination not to leave the Lab and join Booth in the field. Desperate, Booth had started to lose his temper with his partner and those she worked with when miraculously, Zach had appeared at the Lab.

Brennan's intern was back and she was now willing to work with him again.

Deep down, Booth had known that Brennan's reluctance to work with him had been about Zach and the squints' abrupt return from Iraq and Brennan's willingness to work with him again proved it. Booth vowed to never let Zach leave the Jeffersonian again. The intern had caused him enough trouble and now that Booth knew that Zach was important to his partner he had to make sure the squint stayed at the Lab or his partner would reject him again. What she saw in Zach was beyond him, but that didn't matter. Zach was part of the Lab and Booth now accepted that.

Oooooooooooooooooo

"So, the matter is settled? Dr. Brennan is working with you again?" Assistant Deputy Director Hacker had recently been promoted to his position and he needed Booth and his partner to continue making his department look good. He hoped to be Deputy Director someday and he needed Booth and agents like him to perform at the top of their game.

'Yes Sir." Booth wasn't sure what he thought of his new Boss. The man had been a profiler and worked as an investigator for the FBI for several years, but Booth had heard that his boss was a politician and that meant that Hacker might be a pain in the ass. Only time would tell. "Dr. Brennan was searching for a replacement for her intern, but he returned from Iraq early, so that won't be necessary."

Curious, Hacker leaned forward on his desk. "That bank vault you opened, is it true that there's a human skeleton in it and part of it is silver? I've dealt with serial killers before and I think this is the weirdest one I've ever heard of."

"Yes, Sir. The skeleton is part human skeleton and part silver. Dr. Addy says that there are bones from at least six different victims on the skeleton. Whoever this serial killer is, he's been killing people for a while. Gavin Nichols is just his latest victim." Booth hated Serial Killer cases. There was usually a lot of grieving families involved and the killer usually turned out to have a bizarre belief system that bordered on insanity.

Slowly shaking his head, Hacker felt like this case was going to take valuable time from his department. "I hate serial killers. They kill a bunch of people and no one can ever really figure out why they do what they do. Of course, if you catch the guy, we'll be able to close a bunch of cases."

"This is my second serial killer case. These cases can be unpredictable. Howard Epps was the first serial killer I had to deal with and he was able to do damage while he was in prison." Booth still regretted stopping Epps' execution. If they had let Epps die, he wouldn't have killed the fireman during his escape from prison nor Epps' wife. He wouldn't have influenced the budding serial killer Gil Lappin and Sarah Koskoff would still be alive.

Hacker knew about Epps and hoped this new serial killer wasn't as clever as that late demented murderer. "Six victims that we know of. We need to catch this guy as soon as possible."

Booth had despised Howard Epps and he didn't want this serial killer running loose if he could help it. "My team is on it, Sir. We'll get him."

"Good . . . and I'm glad that Dr. Brennan is back on our team." The Assistant Deputy Director had a lot of faith in the forensic anthropologist. She was a great asset and he was glad they hadn't lost her expertise. He knew that it would be difficult to replace her.

"Yes, Sir." Booth stood up. "I have to meet Dr. Brennan in a half hour. She wants to give me a progress report about the bank vault." Once he was out of the office, Booth called his partner to let her know he was on the way to the Jeffersonian.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Now that Zach was back from Iraq and unharmed, Brennan was able to continue her partnership with Booth. She had worried about her intern the entire time he was gone and now that he was back, she could stop worrying. As her partner, Booth should have found a way to stop Zach from going and she had felt betrayed that he hadn't tried, but that was water under the bridge and she realized that her partner's patriotism had kept him from seeing that Zach wasn't adaptable. Not everyone was able to integrate into the military. Not everyone could be Booth.

"Zach has finished examining the skeleton and he has determined that there are bones from ten different victims on the skeleton including Gavin Nichols. Hodgins and I have done a cursory inventory of everything in the vault and nothing points to the murderer's identity at this time. Cam has assigned some interns to the vault. It will be their duty to do a thorough inventory. I am still hopeful that something in the vault will give us the identity of the killer." Brennan was standing in front of the silver skeleton while she talked to Booth. "There are many valuable objects in this room."

Sitting on the chair near the skeleton, Booth wondered if the killer knew that his toys were missing yet. "It kind of makes me believe that whoever this killer is, he's rich. I mean it takes money to own stuff like this . . . or he's a very good cat burglar. Either way, I think that some of this junk will point towards the killer. We just need to figure it out."

"Perhaps or he inherited the items. We won't know until we find him or her." Brennan turned to stare at the skeleton. "Hodgins thinks this is a fetish. It is logical to think that this skeleton is meant to be made entirely of bone. That means he has plans to kill more people . . . I wonder what he will do when he finds out his vault and the contents have been taken from him?"

Surrounded by the killer's possessions, Booth felt a slight shiver run down his back. "I hope he tries to get them back. It would be a dumb thing to do, but hey prisons are full of stupid people. I've made sure that an agent is standing at the top of the stairs at all times. Everyone that comes down here has to sign in and out. I don't think the killer will try to break in, but it would be great if he tried."

"We'll still have to work other cases though." Brennan realized that until they had more clues, they couldn't waste their valuable time focused on this particular case.

"Yeah, of course." Booth liked that she was thinking of them as partners again. "We'll work on this case when we can, but realistically we need more data either that or this guy goes after someone else. I sort of think that's inevitable. Whether he has his toys or not, he's going to kill again. Hell, he might start a new skeleton . . . I just hope that something points to who this guy is before he moves on."

She agreed. "We will solve this case, Booth. We're very good at what we do and we will find this man and stop him from killing anyone else."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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	30. Chapter 30

(The Secret in the Soil)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Booth had dealt with psychologists in the past and he deplored the idea of being forced to deal with one again. After his brief stint as a prisoner of war in Iraq, Booth had gone through several operations to fix his broken feet and afterward had been ordered to see a psychologist. The Army had wanted to make sure he was still fit for duty and Booth had resented that. Forced to talk about the beatings and the torture he'd suffered at the hands of his captors, he'd had to relive the worse week of his life. Once he was cleared by the psychologist, he had vowed to avoid shrinks for the rest of his life.

That vow had now been voided by the FBI. His bosses were wary of the fact that he had arrested his partner's father. Brennan had assured him that she didn't blame for him doing his duty, but his supervisors felt that the partnership might be in jeopardy. Her refusal to work with him for several months made them wonder if Booth's arresting Max Keenan was the reason and not Dr. Brennan's search for a new intern. They needed the Booth/Brennan partnership working at the top of their game and if she was resentful of Max's arrest then they needed to find out about it now.

"I don't need to see a psychologist, Booth." Brennan fumed while they waited in his office for their appointment with Dr. Lance Sweets.

"It's not my idea, Bones." Booth flipped through a folder without actually seeing the pages inside. "I don't want to see the guy anymore than you do . . . If we don't see him, Hacker said our partnership will be dissolved. He said that Deputy Director Fairburn wants to make sure that you're not mad at me and that you'll continue to do your best work . . . I did arrest your father for murder."

Her arms crossed against her breasts, Brennan tapped her foot on the floor. "I told you I am not angry with you Booth. You were doing your job and I always do my best work no matter who I work with. This is a complete waste of time."

Closing the folder, Booth leaned back against his chair. "Look, I've seen a psychologist before. After I was rescued from the Republican Guard, the army made me see a shrink. He asked a bunch of personal questions. I answered them and he let me return to my unit . . . We can do this Bones."

"What kind of personal questions?" Brennan was wary of this whole thing. Like Booth, she had seen a psychologist while she was in Foster Care after one of the families locked her in the trunk of a car and she had almost died. In her case, she didn't cooperate. The psychologist had tried various methods to get her to talk, but once it was obvious that Brennan wasn't going to comply, the doctor had talked to her for several sessions. It had been a complete waste of her time.

"Was I angry . . . Did I want revenge? Stuff like that." Leaning forward on his desk, Booth tried to assure Brennan. "Look, maybe we can confuse the guy. If he starts talking about shit that we don't want to talk about we can bicker with each other and run out the clock."

The plan seemed too simple. "What would we bicker about?"

"I don't know. It has to be spontaneous." Booth saw the look of skepticism on her face, but it was the only plan he could think of that might work "Come on, we bicker all the time. It's not planned we just do it . . . You'll see. We can do this . . . Oh, and don't volunteer anything. Just answer his questions. Don't provide him with fodder."

Annoyed, Brennan checked her wristwatch. "It's time."

Standing, Booth grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, slipped it on and followed Brennan out of his office. He hoped that this wasn't going to be as bad as he feared it was going to be.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Entering the office, Booth had stopped in his tracks and stared at the young man sitting on a love seat facing two chairs. "You're our psychologist? What are you . . . twelve?"

Sweets had been warned that he would be facing a seasoned agent who was also a U.S. Army Ranger. He knew that Booth was going to be a tough nut to crack and his first words confirmed it. "My age is irrelevant, Agent Booth. I have two doctorates, one on clinical psychology and one in behavioral analysis. I have been hired by the FBI as a psychologist and you and Dr. Brennan are required to see me." He hoped the Agent could see that he had no choice but to cooperate.

Wary of the boy sitting in front of him, Booth sat down, glanced at his partner and shrugged his shoulders. Since their psychologist was barely out of childhood, both Booth and Brennan felt that the man had little experience in the real world and would be of little use to anyone.

"We're here because we were told we had to be here." Booth glanced at his watch. "We can only give you one hour then we have to get back to working on our case."

"Like it or not, Agent Booth, you are here because Deputy Director Fairburn wants you here." Sweets decided to try to take charge of the meeting. "A few months ago, you arrested Dr. Brennan's father for the murder of Deputy Director Kirby. Afterward, Dr. Brennan refused to work with you for several months. The Deputy Director and the Assistant Deputy Director were considering terminating your partnership at that time, but Dr. Brennan joined you out in the field in the Gavin Nichols case and your partnership was reprieved."

Startled, Brennan turned to stare at her partner. "You didn't tell me that the FBI was considering terminating our partnership."

Uncomfortable, Booth shifted in his seat. "I was trying to get you to work with me and I didn't think telling you that my bosses were considering breaking us up would help the situation. I thought you might consider it blackmail."

"And it would have been." Annoyed with her partner, Brennan continued to stare at him. "I told you that I was having a difficult time replacing Zach. My staying out of the field had nothing to do with my father being arrested."

"And I believe you." Booth was sure that it had been about him not stopping Zach from contracting with the Army. "If you had continued to stay at the Lab, I would have told you about Fairburn's ultimatum, but Zach showed up, you started working with me again and I didn't see the point in telling you."

"You see, this is why you've been asked to see me." Sweets leaned forward from his couch. "You obviously don't communicate very well with each other."

Their attention now on the psychologist, Booth sneered while Brennan responded. "We don't have any trouble communicating with each other . . . We clearly work well together. If there is a paper you must sign stating that our partnership is exemplary then sign it so we can get back to work. This clearly s a waste our time."

"You do not communicate well together, Dr. Brennan. You didn't know about the potential breakup of your partnership until now. Agent Booth kept that a secret from you."

Annoyed, Booth leaned forward and tried to intimidate the younger man. "I wasn't keeping secrets from Dr. Brennan. She returned to the field and we're working together. Why tell her about something that was no longer a possibility?"

"You should have told me, Booth." Brennan hated to agree with Dr. Sweets, but she felt that Booth should have told her that her partnership was in danger.

Aware that the young psychologist was taking everything in, Booth was careful not to give the man any ammunition. "I'm sorry, Bones. You're right. I'll tell you if that situation ever comes up again."

Satisfied for the moment, Brennan accepted her partner's apology. "The situation will not arise again since Zach will not be leaving the Jeffersonian again." Turning her head to stare at Sweets, Brennan frowned. "Is there a paper to sign?"

As patiently as he could, Sweets explained the situation. "You and Agent Booth will be meeting with me once a week for the next month or so. There are clearly communication problems between you." He held up his hand to forestall the protests that were coming. "You say that the arrest of Max Keenan hasn't affected your partnership, but I think it has. Until I can see that your partnership is healthy, you will meet with me. If you do not, I will tell the Deputy Director that your partnership is a failure and you partnership will end."

"That's blackmail." Booth was outraged. "Our partnership is healthy."

"You will meet with me once a week, Agent Booth. You have no choice." Sweets was determined to help the partners even if they didn't want the help.

Recognizing the anger exuding from her partner, Brennan leaned over and touched his hand before he did something they would both regret. "Booth, it is just for one hour a week. It will be a complete waste of time, but if the FBI wishes to waste their most valuable employee's time then that will be on them." Her hand still in contact with Booth's hand, Brennan looked at the psychologist. "One hour is all I will give you, Dr. Sweets." Glancing at her watch, she sniffed. "You have wasted twenty minutes of our time so far. You may waste an additional forty minutes then we will leave."

Booth couldn't help it, he laughed. As angry as he had been the moment before, his partner had put the young doctor in his place and Booth was happy that she had. "What she said, Sweets."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The meeting over, Booth and Brennan decided a cup of coffee from the diner was in order. While they waited for their beverages to arrive, Booth checked his phone for messages.

"You should have told me that our partnership was in jeopardy, Booth." Brennan found that she was a little upset with her partner and she wasn't sure why. "I was searching for a new intern, if you had told me that the Deputy Director was giving ultimatums, I would have rectified the situation . . . Dr. Edison could have filled in for Zach until his return."

"I was afraid that you would have accused me of blackmailing you. You said it yourself. You said you would have considered it blackmail." Booth knew that he'd handled the situation the best way he could have. He knew his partner.

While their coffee was placed in front of them on the table, Brennan took that moment to consider what her partner had said. "I would have, but I don't think I would have allowed my partnership with you to have been terminated. We work well together and what we do is important. The next time you have information that might affect our partnership you should tell me."

"You're right and I will, Bones." Maybe he had made a mistake not telling her after all. "Sweets is going to be a pain in the ass."

"Yes probably." Brennan sipped her coffee. "I hate psychology. It is a soft science. There is no hard data to back anything they claim . . . But we will cooperate with him. In a few weeks, he will see our partnership is fine and we can continue to work with each other unimpeded."

After pouring sugar in his coffee, Booth stirred the liquid until the sugar was dissolved. "As long as he doesn't ask me about my childhood. That is out of bounds."

"I agree."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	31. Chapter 31

(Knights on the Grid)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The last few weeks had been filled with cases which meant that no one had a lot of time to spare to work on the Gormogon case. Hodgins slipped down to the basement when he could to examine the objects in the vault looking for fingerprints and particulates, but he had come to the conclusion that the owner of the art and the skeleton had worn gloves when handling his collection. He had found hair and he had run a DNA analysis on it, but there was no one in any database that he had access to that matched the DNA in the hair.

Oddly enough, their next break in the case came when the body of a priest was found and his kneecaps were found to be missing. Much to Booth's ire, those kneecaps appeared in Brennan's apartment via the United States Postal service.

The kneecaps seemed to be a message to Brennan. The serial killer wanted those patellas added to the silver skeleton and Brennan was determined not to comply. It worried her that adding the bones would encourage more deaths. The man obviously knew where his toys were and he probably had a way of knowing if the patellas were added to the skeleton.

Booth worried that meant that either Gormogon worked at the Jeffersonian or there was an informer. Anything was possible and he tried to think of a way to use that knowledge to capture the serial killer.

While the interns meticulously catalogued everything they could find, Angela took the time to take pictures of the more esoteric artwork that was residing in the vault. As an artist she hoped that she could see a pattern or a style in the collection, but so far they only pointed to someone that had a broad encompassing knowledge of ancient languages, math and religious relics. The tapestry that hung in the vault was rather compelling and Angela studied the symbolism woven into the cloth. She determined that the red-haired man presented in the tapestry was Barabbas, the thief who died on the cross next to Jesus of Nazareth. The fact that he was there meant that everything on the tapestry should be looked at as backwards and upside down. The numbers on the tapestry broke down into a simple code: Capitol City. From there Hodgins used a map of Washington D.C. and showed that the capital was laid out in Masonic patterns. Those patterns pointed them to a crypt in a cemetery and that crypt contained a completed skeleton. There were no silver bones on this one, just human bones much to Booth's disgust.

After careful inspection of the new skeleton, Zach determined that the bones in the skeleton had been placed there at least fifty years in the past. That meant that the serial killer that had created this particular skeleton was at least seventy years old and worse, there was more than one serial killer.

"Two serial killers." Agitated, Booth was pacing his partner's office. It was bad enough when we had to deal with one skeleton, but now we have two . . . What I'm wondering is, if this is related to a cult, then is it possible that we have more skeletons out that we don't know about?"

"It's possible." Brennan had consulted with Hodgins, their resident conspiracy theorist and acknowledged expert on arcane history.

Pacing the room, Booth felt that they should concentrate on this serial killer case. If there were two serial killers then there might be more and this skeleton cult needed to be stopped. "Are the interns still cataloging the vault?"

"Yes, they are." Brennan perused their reports a least twice a week. "Hodgins found hair samples in the vault, but the DNA didn't match anyone in the available databases."

"So, a law-abiding serial killer." Booth knew that a lot of serial killers kept a low profile. It was one of the most bizarre things about them. How many times did the neighbors of such killers say how quiet and unassuming their neighbor was _? Yeah, they were quiet because they were quietly killing people._ "We need a break in this case."

Brennan understood that, but they couldn't force that to happen. "Zach, Hodgins and Angela are working on it when they can. They helped us find the second skeleton . . . We just need to be patient, Booth."

"Yeah, patient." Booth stopped pacing and walked over to the open doorway. "Not my best feature, Bones."

After her partner was gone, Brennan signed on her PC and scanned all reports connected to the Gormogon case. She had advised patience, but at that moment, she was as impatient as her partner. They had a serial killer killing people so that he could add bones to a silver skeleton. He didn't own the skeleton at the moment, but he was still trying to add to it. That needed to stop.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

The plan had been for them to move the silver skeleton to Bethesda, hopefully enticing Gormogon to try to get his skeleton back, but that plan had failed and Booth and Brennan had almost been killed. A motorcyclist had dropped a satchel bomb on the road in front of their taxi while they had tried to lure Gormogon to attack the truck carrying the skeleton. The plan had been a failure.

The motorcyclist had used the bombing as a distraction to give him time to attack a lobbyist named Ray Porter. Like Gavin Nichols, Porter was a widow's son. The man also fit into the scheme the serial killer seemed to be following. A tapestry in the Gormogon vault contained what looked like taro cards, The Musician, The Bishop, The Corruptor. Gavin Nichols had been the musician, Father Doug Cooper had been the bishop and Ray Porter fit the profile when it came to the Corruptor. Booth had managed to save Porter's life but had watched the attacker escape while he saved a drowning boy's life. The motorcyclist had callously thrown the child in the swimming pool and had forced him to the bottom. Booth had been forced to choose between the boy and the attempted murderer and that choice was no choice at all. The boy was alive, but the killer had escaped.

Furious, Booth reported to his supervisor about what had happened and surprisingly Hacker had not questioned the plan or the outcome. "It was a chance . . . you and Dr. Brennan were lucky that you didn't get killed or badly injured. I think it would be better if we leave the skeleton at the Jeffersonian for now. Their security is pretty good, better than most places. You'll get him Agent Booth, of that I am quite sure."

That meeting had been a surprise to Booth and he found himself calmer. He had been worried about being chastised over his failure, but when it didn't manifest and instead, he had been shown that his boss had confidence in him, Booth had realized that he was putting too much pressure on himself as well as his team. Yes, Gormogon had got a way, but he was going to be caught eventually. Gormogon had already made several mistakes including losing his silver skeleton and Booth felt it was a matter of time before they finally tracked down the killer.

In the meantime, Brennan had had to deal with family issues. The daughter of Russ' girlfriend was very sick and Amy wanted Russ to come home. Considering the man was on the run from the law, that meant that Russ wouldn't be eager to return home. Brennan had arranged for a specialist to take on Hayley's case. The child had cystic fibrosis and Brennan wanted Amy to get her daughter the help she needed.

Through Max's machinations, Russ had returned to see his daughter counting on not being arrested. Of course, Max had lied and Booth arrested the man after letting him see Hayley in the hospital.

In the end, Booth wanted to help his partner's brother and he talked to several people including Archbishop Steven Wallace and Lance Sweets who had promised to help Russ Brennan. The judge at Russ's parole hearing had taken that into account and had give Russ some jail time in the county lockup and had added 18 months to his parole. Ms. Julian had been furious, but Judge Watkins' ruling was final and everyone would have to accept it.

"How can I trust my father, Booth?" Brennan had spent the evening visiting Amy and her daughter, but the next day, she found herself faced with a dilemma. Max Keenan was her father and he was a murderer and a liar. He had lied and told Russ that Booth wouldn't arrest him when he returned and Russ had in turn accused her of betraying him. She had talked to her brother before the judge had seen him and she had thought it was straightened out, but there was still that lack of trust between them.

Pouring some sugar into his coffee, Booth thought about how he should respond. "Max knew that Hayley needed her step-father and he knew that Russ was afraid to come back . . . he found a way to get Russ to come and it involved lying . . . He wanted to help that little girl, Bones and he did what he does best. He manipulated Russ to do it."

"I don't think you are helping me, Booth. My father lied and now Russ doesn't trust me."

"Yeah . . . Your father is a complicated guy, Bones." Booth knew that he hadn't helped at all. "Look, Max has been on the run for a long time. He came back to be here for you and Russ. He's not really a great father, but he's trying to be. He wants to be in your life . . . You went to him and told him that Hayley needed Russ. Max wanted to help and he did it the only way he knew how. If Russ had stayed away knowing that his daughter needed him then what kind of man would that make him? Max tried to make it easy for Russ to make that decision. Sure, Russ has to do some jail time and some months have been added to his parole, but he's been given another chance. He can do his time and he can straighten out his life. He can be the man he needs to be and your father helped him do that . . . I think Russ can see that you didn't do anything wrong, Bones he's just angry that he's in jail because Max told him he wouldn't be arrested. I'm your partner and when I arrested him, he assumed that you lied to your father instead of the other way around. He knows that's not true now . . . Amy and her daughters needed him to do the right thing and come home. He did. This is all going to work out, I promise."

Brennan felt confused and frustrated with her family. "Max abandoned me when I was fifteen and Russ abandoned his family too. How can I trust them? When bad things happen they abandon the ones they're supposed to take care of and leave them behind . . . Max is going to go on trial for murder. We know he's murdered more than one man and been responsible for the death of another."

"Presumed to have murdered someone, presumed to have been responsible for the murder of another. He's going on trial for the murder of Kirby. We'll have to wait and see what the jury thinks of the evidence." Booth was certain that Max was guilty and he knew Brennan did too, but he needed her to have hope. "Maybe he'll convince the jury he didn't do it. If he is, then you can decide what to do about your relationship with him. For now, if it was me, I'd go see him when I can just in case he is found guilty . . . this may be the only time you have left with him. Let him be your father, give him a chance. I don't think you'll regret it."

Aware that Booth hadn't seen his father since he was a child, Brennan wasn't sure that Booth was giving her the best advice. Then again, his father had been very abusive towards his children and Max had never raised his hand in anger towards Brennan or her brother. Her father might be a con man, a murderer, but he had never mistreated his family. "I'll continue to visit him, Booth. At least I know where he is. He can't run away from me while he's in prison."

"Yeah, that's true . . . but remember he didn't have to turn himself in. He did that for you." Booth just hoped Max Keenan didn't betray his daughter again. She deserved to have her family back and Booth hoped that Max understood that he was on shaky ground. If Brennan decided she couldn't trust him then Max would lose his daughter and he'd never get her back into this life. Brennan wouldn't allow it to happen.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	32. Chapter 32

(The Verdict in the Story)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

In the grand scheme of things, Max's trial was one of many trials that were held each year in the District, but what made it interesting to the press and the public was the fact that Max Keenan had been accused of killing Deputy Director Robert Kirby. The same director who had been connected to the assassination of FBI Agent Augustus Harper in 1978. Kirby framed Marvin Beckett for that murder and that dirty deed hadn't come to light until after Kirby had been murdered, gutted and left on a roof top of a hotel. This was a journalist's dream story come true and of course the public ate it up.

Security was tight during the trial which was fine with everyone involved in the trial. The judge kept a tight rein in his court and he didn't approve of theatrics which both the prosecutor and the defense attorney appreciated. Caroline Julian felt that she had an open and shut case. The defense attorney, David Barron was one of the best in the city which made Caroline more determined to win. Of course, the fact that David was also her ex-husband would make winning the case that much sweeter.

Brennan worried that the trial was going to go against her father and that he was going to be found guilty. She had to standby and watch her co-workers and partner testify against her father. She didn't blame them for doing their jobs but she knew they were the best at what they did and her father might end up on death row.

Concerned for his partner, Booth had tried to show her that he was still her partner and friend even though Caroline objected to the fraternization and the judge made them sit apart. He watched the trial unfold with the experience of a seasoned FBI Agent and he didn't see how Max could be found not guilty. The evidence was overwhelming and the jury would have to suspend belief in science if they were to find him innocent. Max's history as a bank robber didn't help the situation. Booth feared what would happen to Brennan if her father was found guilty. She was torn about being the man's daughter, but Booth knew that was a defensive mechanism. She had been abandoned by her parents as a child, but she still felt love for her father even if she couldn't admit it to herself or anyone else.

When it seemed that the trail was going to finally close and Max was going to be found guilty, David Barron had pulled a stunt that actually frightened Booth. David led the jury to believe that it was possible that Brennan had murdered Robert Kirby. Appalled, Booth had tried to stop it when he was called to the witness stand, but he failed and he knew it was possible that his partner was signing her own death warrant to save her father.

During the rest of the trial, his attention was torn between Caroline, the jury and Brennan. Max's defense attorney had sown enough doubt that Booth knew that Max was going to be found innocent. What worried him was what Caroline would do afterward. She was a fighter and hated to lose. Booth was afraid that she might go after Brennan and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. He prayed to St. Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes to save Brennan from the injustice of a trial. Brennan was trying to save her father, but she was risking her own freedom and Booth was certain that the price being paid was too high.

Oooooooooooooooo

A knock on the door surprised Brennan. It was late and she wasn't expecting any company. Once the door was open, Brennan found her partner standing in front of her. "Booth, it's late. What are you doing here?"

"I know what time it is." Booth stood in the hallway with his hands in his pants pockets. "May I come in?"

Wary, Brennan stepped aside. She had seen how Booth reacted to David Barron's tactics in court and even though Booth had hugged her outside the courthouse, she knew that he was upset. "Booth, I did the only thing I could think of to save my father. It wasn't illegal and it harmed no one. Max is not likely to kill again. He murdered Kirby to protect his family. I . . ."

"Harmed no one?" Booth removed his hands from his pockets and folded his arms against his chest. "You set yourself up to be tried for murder. At any time, Caroline could go after you for the murder of Kirby. There is no statute of limitations for murder. Down the road, when Caroline is no longer a prosecutor, someone could decide to come after you. Don't you get that? You could be tried for the murder of a federal agent."

"I do understand, Booth, but the odds of that happening is quite remote." Brennan didn't regret what she had done. "Max is my father. He and Russ are the only family I have left. He killed Kirby to save Russ. Kirby had already tried to kill Russ at the Diner and he was in my apartment when my father killed him. Kirby was either coming after Russ again or he was coming after me. Max killed a murderer."

Frustrated, Booth felt a headache building between his eyes. "And what if he kills someone again? Are you going to keep helping him evade justice?"

"No of course not." Brennan felt that was a foolish question. "I helped him for a specific reason. I will not help him again if he kills anyone else. What he did was horrible, but he did it to save his children and the man he killed was an assassin. Kirby betrayed his oath to the FBI and to his country. He murdered an FBI Agent, he helped bank robbers evade justice and received monetary compensation from them for doing it. He helped a strong arm gang get away with killing two Ohio State Policeman. He set up an innocent man for the murder of Agent Augustus Harper and Marvin Beckett served years in prison for a murder that he didn't commit. Kirby got what he deserved, although I would have preferred that he had been tried and convicted in court by a jury."

"It's so logical to you." Appalled that his partner still didn't understand that what she had done was dangerous, Booth knew that she would never admit that he was right. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't. "I just hope I'm still allowed to work with you."

Surprised, Brennan took a small step back. "I don't know what you mean."

"David Barron brought up the possibility that you murdered a deputy director of the FBI in court." Booth wanted her to understand there could be other ramifications for what she had done. "The jury believed him. The FBI may decide to terminate your contract because it's possible that you really did murder Kirby. It would kind of look bad for the FBI to have a contract employee working for them that actually killed a deputy director . . . Do you see what you've done now?"

Concerned, Brennan crossed her arms against her breasts. "But that won't happen. I didn't kill anyone and you know it. What happened in court was a device to help free my father, nothing more."

A slight smirk on his face, Booth shook his head. "Every action has a consequence, Bones. I'm your partner and I know you didn't kill Kirby and so does Caroline . . . by the way she's not going to prosecute you, but my bosses may not care what I think or what Caroline thinks . . . I hope it doesn't come to that, but I don't have control over what happens at the FBI. I just want you to understand that there may be consequences that neither you nor I will like."

She saw the look of sadness on her partner's face and she realized that her actions may have destroyed her partnership. Something she had not considered and should have. "I'm sorry, Booth. I wanted to protect my father."

"Yeah, I know." Booth stepped forward touched her arm then turned to leave. "I'll let you know if your contract is still intact. I'm pretty sure they'll make that decision tomorrow." He wasn't lying to Brennan. He had an interview with the new Deputy Director and he was afraid his world might be shattered.

Once he was gone, Brennan sat down on a couch and closed her eyes. "They won't fire me . . . will they?"

Oooooooooooooooooo

Deputy Director Carl Fairburn was fairly new to his position, but not new to the FBI. He'd had an exemplary career so far and he wanted to keep it that way. As Booth entered his office, Fairburn studied his Head of Major Crimes and decided the man carried himself well. He'd walked into his office with respect but had not shown cravenness. It bugged the hell out of him when people tried that with him. "Agent Booth."

"Sir." Booth sat down on the chair in front of Fairburn's desk. "You asked to see me?"

Leaning forward on his desk, Fairburn waited for a few seconds before answering. "Your partner's father was found not guilty of murdering the late unlamented Deputy Director Kirby."

"Yes Sir." Booth noticed the word unlamented and wondered what Fairburn was up to.

"Dr. Brennan was presented as a possible suspect in the murder of Kirby and that created reasonable doubt." Fairburn had found that part of the trial to be fascinating and terrifying. Leave it to Max Keenan to find a way to get away with murder. It had scared him that his cousin was risking the life of his daughter like that, but he should have known that Temperance Brennan's reputation would protect her from prosecution. Still, he had threatened Max and told him the next time, he'd shoot him himself if he risked his kids like that.

Wary of where this might be going, Booth shook his head. "That was a ploy. Dr. Brennan did not kill Deputy Director Kirby. She values life, fights for justice for those who have been murdered and silenced. She's the top in her field and everyone that knows her, knows that she couldn't murder someone in cold-blood."

"She killed Gil Lappin." Fairburn waited to see how the agent would respond.

"To save my life sir. The man had killed a young woman and kidnapped another." Booth kept his voice cool and unemotional. "We tracked him down to an abandoned postal distribution center. He caught me by surprise and knocked my gun away. He was going to kill me with a heavy pipe, but Dr. Brennan picked up my gun and shot him. She didn't murder anyone. She saved two people's lives that day."

Not really surprised with Booth's professionalism, Fairburn smiled. "Yes, I know." Glancing at his watch, the Deputy Director motioned for Booth to leave. "That will be all Agent Booth."

Now worried that the interview had gone badly, Booth stood up, but didn't leave. "Sir, are you going to fire Dr. Brennan?"

"Of course not." Fairburn leaned back against his chair. "I have been assured by Ms. Julian and Director Ross that Dr. Brennan is a valuable asset to our team and that there is no possibility that she has committed murder. Deputy Director Kirby was killed by Max Keenan. You know it. I know it. Everyone here at the Hoover knows it, but the jury says he didn't and that's that. Kirby sowed what he reaped. Your partnership is safe, Agent Booth . . . Although I must say, if her father kills anyone else and she pulls this shit again, she will be fired."

"I can assure that this was a one shot deal, Sir." Relieved, Booth nodded his head at Fairburn. "Thank you, Sir."

Waving his hand towards the door, Fairburn reached for his phone. "Make sure you tell your partner what I said. Max Keenan will pay for any future crimes he commits. He was given a 'Get out of Jail Free' card. Hopefully he knows that the game is finished. There won't be anymore." _Max had better behave if he knows what's good for him._

"Yes Sir." Booth left the office feeling much better than when he had entered the room. Caroline had assured him that his partner was safe from prosecution and his partnership was still intact with the FBI. This had turned out better than he had hoped for. He just hoped Brennan meant it when she said she'd never risk her freedom for her father again.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

"We've got a case, Bones. Chop, chop." Booth stood in Brennan's office doorway and smiled at her. "Better get to the crime scene before some fumble fingers screws up the crime scene."

She hadn't seen her partner for two days and Brennan had begun to worry that her contract had been terminated with the FBI. "I'm still working cases with you?" She closed the file on her PC then turned to face her partner. "I haven't been fired?"

"Nah." Booth stepped into the office and leaned on her desk. "Deputy Director Fairburn says that as long as you don't do a repeat of Max's trial, we'll be good to go. If Max kills someone you can't do what you did in the last trial. The FBI will fire you and I'm pretty sure you might be prosecuted. I told you, Caroline doesn't like losing."

"Understood and I've already said that I won't help him again." Relieved, Brennan logged off her computer. "Let me change clothes and grab my kit and we'll be ready to go."

While he waited, Booth thought about Max Keenan. The man was a conman, a murderer and who knew what else, but he was Brennan's father and like him or not, criminal or not, Booth would do his best to help him become closer to Brennan. She needed some family even if it meant that her family were a bunch of criminals.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	33. Chapter 33

(The Pain in the Heart)

A/N: My story is starting to move away from canon in this chapter. I have had a few inquiries about what I was up to. You're now about to find out.

I don't own Bones.

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She had always tried to keep everyone at arm's length. Brennan had learned at a young age that you should never count on anyone including family. They say they love you, but how can that be true when they leave you and don't come back? Her parents had run from a murderer and left their children behind. Max had told her that it was to protect them, but Brennan knew that by leaving her behind her parents had imperiled her life. She almost died in Foster Care because of their reckless abandonment.

Now her friend, her partner was dead because he had done a foolish thing. He had promised that he would never betray her, he'd never walk away, but Booth was gone and his promises were broken. He had stopped Pam Noonan from killing her, but she hadn't asked him to do that. She would never ask someone to risk their life for hers. She could take care of herself and if in the end she failed, then that was on her and no one else. Brennan was furious that Booth had sacrificed himself for her. He had no right to do that. Now he had a young son that would never see his father again all because Booth didn't understand that he was not responsible for her. He wasn't responsible for anyone but himself.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in her apartment, a pillow in her arms, Brennan felt detached from herself. She had grieved for her friend and now there were no more tears left to give. For whatever reason that was beyond her, Booth's funeral was going to occur two weeks after he had died. That seemed like a long time wait to hold a funeral, but Brennan never claimed to understand the nuances of mourning or the customs surrounding burials in her home country. She had been told that the funeral was in four days and she had made up her mind not to go. She had mourned privately and going to the funeral would be a waste of her time.

A knock on her door broke through her reverie. Debating whether or not to open the door, a more persistent knock echoed the first knock. Lethargic, she moved from the couch, dropped the pillow on the coffee table and moved slowly towards the door. Whoever was on the other side persisted in wanting attention and knocked once more.

Annoyed, Brennan unlocked the door, yanked it open and stared in befuddlement at the man standing in the hallway. "I . . . I don't understand."

Glancing back towards the elevator, Booth gently pushed Brennan backwards deeper into her apartment and closed the door behind him. "I can't stay very long. I'm going to be in big trouble when they find out I'm gone. I'm going to say I went for a drive, but I'm sure that's not going to fix this."

Stunned, Brennan slowly shook her head. "You're dead." She had been told he was dead. Deputy Director Fairburn had told her that Booth was dead in the hospital. He'd looked her right in the eyes and boldly told her a lie. "You're not dead."

"Yeah, no I'm not." Booth was surprised his appearance was a shock to his partner and he realized that something was wrong. His gut had told him that he needed to see his partner and make sure she was okay and now he knew that his gut had not led him astray. "Um, didn't anyone tell you that I was alive? You were on my list . . . Rebecca, Pops, Jared and you. You were all supposed to know I wasn't dead." The paleness of her skin worried him. Something had told him to come and check on his partner and now he knew why. "No one told you, did they?"

A tear escaped her lashes. Torn between wanting to hit him and the need to hold him, Brennan threw caution to the wind, stepped closer towards Booth and threw her arms around him. "You're alive. You didn't leave me."

"No, I would never do that." Booth placed his arms around Brennan and held her tightly against his body. "I knew something was wrong. I just knew it. I came to make sure you were okay and . . ."

"No one told me you were alive." Not sure what was going on, she released him and stepped back. "What is going on, Booth?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Booth knew that he had better tell her the truth. "When I was shot and I passed out, I woke up in the hospital and Fairburn was leaning over my bed. He told me that I was going undercover. The FBI and Interpol has been after an international terrorist for years. I almost caught him once and the guy publicly vowed to come to my funeral . . . Fairburn decided to see if the guy would take the bait and see if he really would come to my funeral. They announced I was dead . . . my funeral is in four days. I asked if everyone was told that I was alive that was on my list and Agent Harris said they were, but he didn't say who made the calls and he couldn't swear that you were told. My gut told me that something might not be right and this evening I borrowed Agent Harris's car and came over here to check on you . . . to make sure you were okay."

"I was not informed of this ruse, Booth." Brennan began to feel angry, very angry. "If I was on your list then why wouldn't they tell me? This seems like a cruel thing to do, I am your partner."

He could see the anger on her face and he wanted to make sure it wasn't directed at him. "I don't know. I asked Harris three times if everyone was told on my list and he said yes, but then he made the odd comment that Agent Parks said he'd seen you at the Lab when he delivered a body that was found at the Lincoln Memorial and you looked strange, like you were really sad. That didn't sound right to me and my gut said I needed to check on you. That's why I'm here."

Confused, Brennan slowly walked over to her couch and sat down. "You need to go back, Booth. You said you're going to get in trouble for coming here."

Moving over to the couch, Booth sat down. "I'll leave in a few minutes . . . are you okay?" He was worried about her. Her anger appeared to be gone, but now she seemed distant and he didn't know if that was good or bad for him. "Look, when this is over, I'm going to find out why you weren't told about me being alive. I'm not going to let this stand. Someone was given a job and they didn't do it . . . Bones, I would never do something like this, go undercover and not tell you. You have to know that."

"I do, Booth." She felt odd. Up until a few minutes ago she had been in mourning for her partner and now she didn't know what she felt. Shouldn't she feel relieved? It seemed to her that her emotions were all jumbled up and she didn't know what she felt. "Please go back before you get into too much trouble . . . when this is over, we will talk about this further."

He knew he needed to leave, but he was worried that he was leaving Brennan when she needed him. "I can't talk to you on the phone. Harris has my phone. I borrowed his car to get here . . . I'll see you in four days and we'll get through this . . . okay?"

"Alright." Brennan gave him a weak smile. "I'm glad you're not dead, Booth. I . . . I missed you."

"Thanks, I'm glad I'm not dead too." Booth chuckled. "There should be a few shocked faces when I reappear at the funeral."

Brennan leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'll see you in four days."

The kiss had been unexpected and Booth wasn't sure what to make of it. "Yeah, I'll see you in four days."

Once Booth was gone, Brennan felt the tears begin again, but this time she wasn't mourning. They were tears of relief. "He didn't leave me. He didn't leave me."

Ooooooooooooooooo

When Booth pulled up in front of the safe house, he noticed Harris sitting on the porch steps watching him. The porch light was bright and he could clearly see the scowl on the Agent's face. Leaving the car, Booth carried two paper bags and a large Coke over to the steps and handed his friend one of the bags. "Bobby's Burger Palace." Moving up the steps, he removed some fries from the bag and munched on them as he entered the house.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Harris followed Booth into the house and shook the bag at his friend. "Are you telling me you stole my car to get some burgers?"

"Borrowed your car." Booth sat down at the kitchen table, unwrapped his burger and poured his large bag of fries around the burger. "My car isn't here is it and I'm sick of eating soup and egg sandwiches. I told you yesterday I wanted something else and when you ignored me, I borrowed your car and went and bought some decent food. This is all your fault, so don't blame me."

Astonished, Harris walked over to the kitchen table and slammed the bag from the burger joint onto the table. "You're not supposed to leave this house. What if you'd been seen?"

"I drove through the drive through, it's night and I was wearing a ball cap and sun glasses." Booth took a bite of his burger, chewed it and swallowed. "If you don't want what I brought you, I'll keep it for my self and have it tomorrow for lunch."

"You're unbelievable." Harris sat down and leaned back against his chair. "What do you think Fairburn will do when he hears about this?"

Swallowing another bite of his burger, Booth wiped his lips with a napkin. "He'll only find out if you tell him. If you want to be yelled at for being a poor watchdog then tell him. I'll just say I was hungry and needed real food. All you've fed me is, soup, stew and egg sandwiches. I'm recovering from a gunshot wound. I need real protein, I need meat and since you wouldn't go get it, I did."

Since Booth was showing no fear or shame, Harris knew that this would be the end of it. "Give me my car keys." Once they were in his hand, the agent put them in his pant's pocket. "I'll make sure you can't get these from now until next Monday."

His first burger gone, Booth removed a second burger from his bag. "Do what you want . . . after this is over, I'm going to go buy me a steak as big as a dinner plate and I'm not leaving until I finish it. You're invited, if you want to come."

Slowly shaking his head, Harris removed a burger from his bag and unwrapped it. "You're unbelievable. You'd jeopardize our mission for a fucking hamburger?"

"Three bacon cheeseburgers, a large fry and a large coke." Booth sipped some of his drink.

After taking a bite, Harris placed his burger down and removed the bun. "Hey, where's my bacon?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth picked up some fries. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I just bought hamburgers."

"Bullshit!" Harris picked up his burger. "You just didn't want to pay extra for the bacon, you cheapskate."

Amused, Booth sipped more of his coke. "Well, the next time you want bacon, go get the burgers like I asked you to." Booth had hoped riling up Harris would keep him from questioning where exactly he had gone. As long as he thought that the burger place was his only destination then everything would be copacetic.

Ooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story.


	34. Chapter 34

(The Pain in the Heart)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Puzzled by Brennan's lack of emotion, Sweets stood on the platform and watched Angela talk to her best friend.

"Honey, Booth's funeral is today . . . Aren't you going?" Angela had noticed a marked change in her friend in the last few days. After Booth had died, Brennan had been angry, very angry then that anger had turned to sadness. Angela had tried to comfort her, but Brennan had rejected that comfort. It had worried everyone at the Lab that Brennan was trying to handle her grief alone, then three days ago, she had come to work and she seemed 'normal'. She wasn't sad anymore and that upset Angela more than the rejection. "That skeleton you're working on can wait. Don't you want to be there when Booth is laid to rest . . . to say good-bye?"

Not really sure how to handle the situation, Brennan knew she was supposed to think that her partner was dead, but she knew he wasn't and she was confused about how she should react. She wished she had thought to ask Booth what role he wanted to her to play, but that hadn't happened so it was up to her to figure it out. ""Yes, that would be the appropriate response . . . it would be expected."

"Yes, it would." Angela glance at Hodgins and Sweets seeking a little moral support. "I think Booth would want you there."

It seemed reasonable. If she was wrong, she knew that Booth would tell her once his undercover assignment was done. "Yes, I think he will be expecting me to be there."

"Will be expecting you?" Sweets was starting to worry about Brennan. She was a scientist and relied on logic and facts. Was it possible that she knew that Booth was alive or was she in denial? "Booth is dead Dr. Brennan."

Annoyed, Brennan removed her gloves and threw them in the bio-hazard bin. "Yes, I am aware of that Dr. Sweets. I am merely acknowledging that I should be at the funeral . . . are you saying I shouldn't be there?"

"What? No, no I was just a little startled that you sounded like you thought Booth would expect you at his funeral. I know you don't believe in heaven or hell." Brennan wasn't reacting like he thought she should. She had been angry and then sad, but in a way she had also been in denial. Now she was acting her normal self and he wanted to know why. "You do accept that he's dead don't you?"

Her irritation growing, Brennan glared at the younger man. "I was told by Deputy Director Fairburn that Booth is dead. Do you have reason to doubt what he said? Should I have doubts?"

"No, no, Booth is dead . . . it's just that your wording was strange." Sweets knew that if anyone suspected Booth was alive and the operation failed, they might blame him. "Are you going to the funeral? I really think you should." If she was in denial about Booth's death then she needed to face reality.

"I will be attending his funeral." Brennan walked past her friends and left the platform. _I hope I haven't done the wrong thing, said the wrong thing. It might have been wiser if Booth hadn't told me he was alive._

Ooooooooooooooooo

Booth appeared at his funeral in uniform. When the terrorist he had hoped would appear showed up, he attacked the man and tried to arrest him. He hadn't counted on the fact that he was recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest and he wasn't in shape to wrestle someone to the ground. When he had been knocked down, Brennan had stepped forward and struck the man with the arm of the mannequin that had been resting in the coffin. Since most of the crowd at the funeral had not known that Booth was alive, the stunned looks in the crowd was almost comical.

"I thought you were dead." Brennan knew that she was one of the ones that was supposed to be ignorant of the fact that Booth was alive, so she knew she had to pretend that his appearance was a surprise. "What is going on Booth?"

Brennan's question reminded Booth that there were very few people that knew he was alive and his partner was supposed to be one of them. Standing, he grabbed his hat from the ground and brushed off some dead grass. "I was undercover. That guy is an international terrorist . . . I had a few run ins with him in the past and he vowed that he'd come to my funeral if he got the chance. Deputy Director Fairburn wanted to take advantage of my injury and we faked my death to draw the guy out."

"I understand." Brennan pointed towards the parking lot. "I can take you the Hoover or your apartment if you wish me to." She was sure she was playing her role correctly and she was quite pleased with her acting.

"Wait!" Sweets ran across the open space to where Brennan and Booth were standing and placed his hand on Brennan's arm. "You just found out that Booth is alive and . . ."

Before he could finish, Brennan stepped away from the psychologist to remove his hand from her arm. "Why was I not informed that Booth was alive?" She was still angry that no one had told her of that fact and that Booth had had to break protocol to let her know. She would not betray her partner for doing that, but she did want to know why she hadn't been told.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that too. You were on my list of contacts, Bones." Booth was staring at Sweets and saw the man flinch. "I will find out why you weren't told and there will be hell to pay."

"Good." Again, Brennan pointed at the parking lot. "I think we should leave now. I have work to do at the Lab and I'm sure you have work to do at the Hoover."

As he watched the couple leave, Sweets knew that the next few days might be rough. He had meant to show Brennan that she had lost someone dear to her and that she needed to acknowledge that loss, but now he realized that perhaps he had made a very unwise decision. If Booth and Brennan found out it was him that had failed to tell her that Booth was alive, hell when they found out he was the one that hadn't told Brennan then he was going to be in big trouble. He needed to come up with a plan and he needed to do it fast.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The apartment was a little chilly. No one had been in the apartment for two weeks and the heater hadn't been on in all that time. Spring was a mix of cold and warm days and now Booth turned on the heater to chase away the dampness. "Let me get changed and you can take me to the Hoover. I have some paperwork I need to fill out."

"Booth . . . I'm glad you're alright." Not sure if it was the right time to have this conversation, Brennan cleared her throat. "At first I was quite angry with you for stepping between me and Pam Noonan. I didn't ask you to do that. When Deputy Director Fairburn told me that you were dead, I became angrier. You think it is your responsibility to protect me, but you do that disregarding your own safety. I can take care of myself and if I can't then I accept that I might die or be hurt. I don't want you to value my life more than your own. It isn't right."

Surprised, Booth turned back to face Brennan. "I don't do that . . . I heard Pam scream my name. I stood up and faced her. She had a gun and I knew you didn't know what was going on and I stepped in. Not because I don't value my life, but because I was the one Pam was obsessing over. You were just an innocent bystander. I value my life and I value your life . . . Do you understand?"

"Not really." Brennan moved closer to Booth and faced him just a few feet apart. "You cannot do this again. You cannot take a bullet meant for me. You cannot die, Booth. You promised me that you would never betray me and walk away from me, but that is what you did . . . if you had died, that would have been abandonment. You're my friend and I am counting on that. You are a man of your word and I expect you to keep your word. You said you would not leave me."

Deep down, Booth knew that he would repeat what he had done, but his partner didn't want to hear that. She had abandonment issues and he had promised to never walk away from her like her parents and brother had done to her. He hadn't realized that she would consider his death a form of abandonment. "Um, no I won't do it again." He knew he was lying, but as long as she didn't that was all that mattered. "And I will keep my word. You can trust me Bones. I won't walk away from our friendship. That's not going to happen ever."

Confused, Brennan wasn't sure why she was having such a strange conversation with her partner. She wasn't saying the things she wanted to say. Was she a coward? She didn't think she was, but she had never been in such a bizarre situation before. Stepping closer to Booth, Brennan placed her hand on his arm. "I missed you." She didn't know what else to say. She had so many mixed emotions running through her and she didn't know how to react or what to say.

Grasping her hand, Booth could see that his friend was struggling. "Hey, I'm right here. I'm not dead and I'm not leaving you. I'm sorry that no one contacted you and told you that I was alive. I never meant that to happen."

Her emotions becoming too much for her, Brennan placed her arms around her partner and leaned against him. "I missed you." She knew that she had already said that, but she didn't know how to express what she was feeling. "You are important to me and to think that I had lost you forever . . . I missed you."

His arms around her, Booth leaned his chin on her shoulder. "You're important to me too." He didn't understand what she was trying to say to him. He knew she was trying to tell him something, but he didn't want to assume anything. Did she miss him as a friend or as something more? Did she love him? Did her love her? It was confusing and he didn't want to make a mistake. He knew that if he said the wrong thing, did the wrong thing, he could ruin his friendship with her. What was he supposed to do?

One emotion finally seemed to come to the forefront and though she was wary of that emotion, even though she was afraid that it didn't really exist, Brennan decided to be brave and to accept that perhaps love was real and that it was time to let Booth know that she felt love for him. Was that love just as a friend? She wasn't sure, but she needed to show him that he meant a lot to her.

She was brave, wasn't she? Before she changed her mind, Brennan searched for Booth's lips and kissed him. At first, he seemed to hesitate, but soon his response changed to a passionate one and she knew that she hadn't made a mistake, or at least not yet. Even if he didn't love her as more than a friend, at least he now knew that she felt a strong emotional connection to him. Was it really love? She didn't know. She might never know, but she felt something towards Booth and she felt that things were about to change.

Her lips on his lips were a dream come true. He had almost lost her when she had been kidnapped by the Gravedigger and then she had risked her freedom saving her father's life during his murder trial. He had been so afraid that he would lose her and never see her again, but he hadn't dared to label what he was feeling at the time. Was it love? He thought it was. It seemed like love. He knew that he had to take things slowly and let Brennan set the pace of their relationship. He would never push her for more than she could give, but if she wanted him, if she wanted what he could offer then he would do his best to make her happy. "I missed you too, Bones."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	35. Chapter 35

(The Pain in the Heart)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in her office, Brennan tried to concentrate on her work, but she found it difficult considering what had happened earlier in Booth's apartment. They had kissed. Their kisses were quite passionate, but both knew not to take it too far. They were both still confused about what the kisses meant and both were afraid to take it too far, at least for the moment.

"I . . . Booth, I need to think about what is happening."

He'd understood. "Yeah, we need to make sure we know what we want . . . It's okay to keep this slow, Bones. I mean, you thought I was dead and then I wasn't. It's a lot to take in and we have plenty of time to figure out where to go from here." Her kisses had been intoxicating, but when she had pulled away, he had known that they had to stop. Trust was a big issue with his partner and he would never cause her to distrust him. He reminded himself that just because she had kissed him didn't mean she was ready for a relationship, at least not yet. Brennan didn't do change quickly. She was slow and methodical and she had to think things through. It was who she was and he wouldn't force her to change how she did things. He could wait for her to catch up with their new reality.

Grateful that Booth understood, Brennan had grasped his hand, tried to smile and failed. "I don't want to make a mistake, Booth . . . I value our friendship. It's very important to me . . . I think I love you . . . yes, I admit that, but I don't know what that means . . . I know I'm not being clear, but this is confusing. We're partners and if I make a mistake, if I don't know . . . "

"Bones, stop." Booth could see she was struggling and he wanted to assure her. "Hey, we are friends first and always. If we decide to be more than friends then we'll do that, but not until you're sure . . . Just don't put too much pressure on yourself. Let's let this thing happen naturally. If it happens, then we'll deal with it and everything that comes with it, okay? No pressure from me and I love you too. This isn't a one sided thing. I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright." She leaned over and kissed him. "I'm not sure how natural this is . . . I do like the way you kiss. It's very nice." She meant it. She felt a certain thrill when their lips met and she knew that the natural progression of their relationship would probably happen faster than they were both prepared for. She just hoped it wouldn't destroy their friendship.

oooooooooooooo

The box was delivered to Brennan at the Lab and when it was opened, she found a mandible and two silver screws. Concerned that Gormogon was making another statement, Brennan carried the box and it's contents on to the platform and began to examine it. Her activity didn't go unnoticed by Cam and Hodgins and soon everyone in the Lab knew about the mandible.

"Gormogon wants us to put that on his skeleton." Hodgins wondered who the serial killer had killed this time and where the body was.

"There are signs that he boiled the mandible and ate the flesh." Brennan had expected it and looked for it specifically. "We need to let Booth know about this."

Cam sighed. "I'll call him." She had been so relieved to see Booth alive at the cemetery, but she had so many questions. One of them being, why hadn't she been told that her friend hadn't been killed or why Dr. Brennan hadn't been notified. She felt that the FBI had handled Booth's undercover role rather cavalierly. His friends had thought he had died and she felt a little bit used. "I think Booth's list of notifications could have been a little bit bigger. I should have been told he was alive as well as you, Dr. Brennan. It was quite a shock to discover he was alive."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "He told me it was to make sure that as few people knew he was alive a possible. Their goal was to capture an international terrorist and the fewer people knew that Booth was alive the better it would be to keep it a secret."

"Well, I think he should have at least told you, Bren." Angela had felt angry that her friend had been used badly by Booth and the FBI. 'You're his partner and his friend. He made you sad for no reason what so ever. He let you believe he was dead."

"He informed me that I was on his list of notifications, Angela." Brennan moved away from the mandible and let Zack examine it. "Booth told me he will find out who was supposed to tell me that he was alive and find out why they didn't do their duty. He is quite angry that I wasn't told he was alive."

Relieved, Cam nodded her head. "Well, I'm glad you were on the list." She moved off the platform and walked down to her office. After she called Booth to let him know about the mandible, she leaned her elbows on her desk with her hands clasped under her chin. She had mourned for her friend for two weeks and she was relieved that it had been a ruse. At one time she had loved him, but they had both realized that they had careers that meant a lot to them and they had their own paths to follow. "You lunkhead, scaring me like that." She knew duty came first with her friend and if she wasn't on the list, it was because his boss had forced him to keep the list as small as possible. Booth was a good soldier and he obeyed orders. It was who he was and she accepted that. She always had.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Booth found it hard to concentrate. Those kisses had been unexpected and a pleasant surprise. After they had talked in his apartment Brennan had left to return to work and Booth had changed clothes. He needed to take his uniform to the cleaners since rolling around on the grass had made it dirty. Once he was ready, he had returned to the Hoover amidst a hail of greetings from fellow agents and thumb ups from his bosses. He had retired to his office to try to work on a mound of paper work waiting for him, but his heart wasn't in it. He knew he should be working, but his thoughts were running in circles. Was he in love with Brennan? He thought so. He felt that he had been in love with her for a long time, but he had kept that to himself and had tried to keep any feelings he had for his partner hidden from her. She was a complicated person and he knew that she thought love was just wishful thinking by overly sentimental people. As far as she was concerned, love was chemicals in the brain and nothing more.

But something had changed in his partner.

Brennan had taken him by surprise when she had kissed him and he had wanted more, much more, but it hadn't taken more than a few minutes to see that she was confused and floundering. She loved him, but she didn't know how to handle it. Brennan didn't trust what she was feeling. He knew that she didn't believe in love. Her parents had abandoned her when she was a child and that betrayal had destroyed what she understood about love. She didn't trust love and it would take a lot of change on her part to accept the possibility that her love for him was more than a love for a friend or that what she was feeling wasn't just temporary.

He had to be careful. If he pushed her too hard, too fast it would destroy any fledgling love she felt for him and could destroy their friendship and partnership. He was a patient man and he knew that if he handled the situation with care, he might get the relationship he wanted. It was up to Brennan how fast and far she wanted to go, but Booth could see there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Those kisses had not been friendly kisses. They had been passionate kisses and he had felt her desire for him in the intensity of their kisses. All he had to do was wait for her to understand that love was real and she could trust him. The most important thing she had to understand was that if they did have a relationship and it failed it would not be the end of their friendship. Like his partner, her friendship was very important to him. He had never had a friend like Brennan before and he would not throw that away.

The call from Cam broke through his thoughts and the fact that Gormogon was once more sending Brennan body parts in the mail made Booth both angry and afraid. He wasn't sure what Gormogon was trying to prove, but it worried him that the serial killer knew where Brennan lived and worked and that the maniac was trying to force her to make changes to his silver skeleton.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

"Okay, what do we have?" Booth stood on the platform beside Brennan and stared at the jawbone sitting on the steel table.

Pleased to see Booth, Brennan flashed a smile at him, then pointed at the mandible. "There are signs of cannibalism. There is evidence the mandible was boiled and the flesh was torn off with someone wearing dentures."

"Dentures? An old cannibal? You know that guy I chased from Ray Porter's house wasn't some old guy. He was in great shape and probably younger than I was . . . Is this part of Porter? He disappeared a day after Gormogon got a way and I'm pretty sure if Porter was alive, we'd know it by now."

"We're running DNA tests to determine the victim's identity." Brennan stared at the mandible and shook her head. "I will not place this on the silver skeleton. I refuse to concede to his demands."

"That's okay Bones." Booth glanced at Cam and shook his head. "No one is going to give that guy what he wants. We have his skeleton and we are not going to replace the silver bones with real bones. I'm going to get that guy and I'm going to make this shit stop."

Cam stepped closer to the steel table and interrupted the conversation. "Hodgins and Zach are going to set up an experiment to see how the dentures were made that were used on the jaw. It might not identify who Gormogon is, but it will give us the process he used. How many people know how to make dentures? We might be able to pinpoint the materials used and how they were made and with what. Who knows maybe a local dentist is our serial killer. It's worth looking into."

"Alright." Booth knew that he needed more information to track down the serial killer, but he needed his squints to get that information for him. "I'm going home. Call me if you need me." Before he left, Booth paused and turned to face Brennan. "Bones, I'm still looking into who was supposed to do the notifications. I'll let you know when I find out."

"Thank you." Brennan grimly nodded her head. "I want to know why that person didn't trust me." Angry that someone at the FBI hadn't trusted her with her partner's secret, Brennan removed her gloves and threw them in the bio-hazard bin. "I am very trustworthy."

He placed his hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know you are. I can trust you just like you can trust me." With that, he left the platform. Hungry he decided to stop by Wong Fu's and pick up something to eat for dinner. He thought it might be a good idea to buy extra just in case he had company. He didn't expect Brennan to come over, but if she did, he was going to make sure she ate dinner. She had lost weight in the last two weeks and he didn't like that. It meant that no one had cared to see if Brennan was taking care of herself.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A knock on the door and Booth quickly strode down the hallway. With happy anticipation, he opened the door and found Brennan on the other side. "Hey, come in. I have some Wong Fu's if you're hungry." He had almost finished dinner, but he was willing to sit at the table and keep her company while she ate.

"I am hungry. Thank you." She removed her jacket as she walked down the hallway and draped it across the couch as she followed Booth to the kitchen. "Zach and Hodgins are going to do their experiment tomorrow morning. We're still waiting for the DNA test to come back."

"That sounds good." Booth knew it wouldn't do any good to ask for tests to come back sooner. Science was never in a hurry. As they entered the kitchen he pointed at the table. "Sit down and I'll get you a plate. I bought some vegetable stir fry and some of that fried tofu you like."

Surprised, Brennan sat down. "You were expecting me?" She hadn't known she was coming over until she had got in her car and started to drive.

"I was hoping you'd come over." Booth retrieved a bottle of beer from the fridge and handed that and a plate and fork to her. "Help yourself." He sat down, picked up his fork and continued to eat his meal.

The pleasure of being with Booth doing something as simple as eating dinner with him made Brennan realize just how close she had come to losing her best friend. "I missed this while you were gone . . . I enjoy eating dinner with you, talking to you."

"Me too." Booth placed his fork down. "I'm really sorry that no one told you I wasn't dead. You shouldn't have been put through that. It wasn't right."

"I'm fine, Booth." And she was. She had mourned his death and now that she knew he was alive and back home, she could move on. "Are you alright? If I may, if you will allow it, I'd like to look at your wound, Booth." She needed to see it. She wanted to make sure he was healing properly.

Quietly, Booth removed his shirt and turned in his chair to allow Brennan access to his chest. "The doctor said it chipped a piece of my right clavicle when the bullet passed through. He said it was just a tiny chip and it wasn't anything to worry about. I lost some blood, but you know that and I had to have two transfusions . . . I have to keep the wound dry, but besides that I'm okay."

She stood up, leaned over and removed the bandage. Leaning closer, she examined the wound and placed her index finger beside the new scar. "It appears to be healing properly." Carefully, she replaced the bandage and sat back down. "Thank you . . . I tried to make them let me see your body when they told me that you had died, but they escorted me out of the hospital. I didn't understand why at the time, but now I do . . . thank you for coming back and letting me know that you were alive. Did you get into any trouble?"

"Nope, I made a run to Bobby's Burger Palace and told Harris that was why I borrowed his car. He was too busy having a cow about the burgers to ask me if I went anywhere else." He pulled his t-shirt back on and picked up his fork. "I really do like their bacon cheeseburgers."

Chuckling, Brennan shook her head. "This is why you were such a successful Ranger in the Army. You understand how to divert attention when you need to, to do your job. I'm glad you didn't get into any trouble."

As he ate, Booth pointed at her food and encouraged her to eat. "When you're done, would you like to watch a movie?"

Swallowing her bite of food, Brennan shook her head. "I'm tired, Booth. I'd like to rest . . . would you mind if I slept here tonight?"

Surprised, Booth quickly swallowed his mouth full of lo mein. "Sure, you can sleep in Parker's room. I changed the sheets after his last visit."

"Would you mind if I slept with you?" She saw his confusion and knew that she had better explain herself. "I just want to sleep in bed with you, Booth. Nothing more. I missed you and sometimes this just feels like a dream. I'm afraid I'll wake up and someone will tell me that you're really dead. I just need to make sure it isn't a dream." She knew that she sounded fanciful, but her request was sincere. "Just tonight."

He thought about it for a few seconds and finally nodded his head. "Of course you can. My bed is a king size bed, so there's plenty room for both of us. You can wear some of my workout clothes." He wanted to tell her no, since he was sure it was going to make him uncomfortable to have her that close and not be able to hold her in his arms or make love to her, but he couldn't really say no. They had gone undercover in Vegas once and slept in the same bed. Nothing happened then and he would make sure nothing happened now. She just wanted to be near him and truthfully, he thought that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever asked of him. This was all about earning her trust and it seemed a small thing to do for her. "If I snore, you can always move into Parker's room."

"I'm sure it will be fine." Brennan was glad that Booth understood what was going on. It was an awkward request, but she needed this. She needed to be close to his body, to wake up and know that he was alive and that he wasn't dead and buried in a cemetery. She needed one night to let reality take over. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Booth sipped some of his beer and studied Brennan while she ate. _Why the hell didn't anyone make sure she was eating and sleeping. Damn she just looks so tired. Well, I'm going to take care of her whether she likes it or not. She really does need a good nights sleep and so do I._ "I have some ice cream for dessert."

She smiled and nodded her head. "Perhaps a small bowl." While she finished eating, Brennan thought about the changes that seemed to be happening in her life. Was she afraid? Yes, she was. Did she really love Booth? She wasn't sure, but she didn't think that was important. Did she trust him? Yes, he had proved himself to be trustworthy. He hadn't abandoned her. He had kept his word. Was she worried that a relationship with him would fail? Of course, but she had known him for three years and she knew who he was. They were friends and she knew that friendship was just as important to him than it was to her. Could she allow him to become part of her life? She almost laughed. He had been part of her life for three years and they had been interesting years. Life was unpredictable, but she knew that she could count on Booth if nothing else. Would she allow herself to have a personal relationship with him? Perhaps. She was still afraid of failure and a small part of her was afraid even Booth would walk away from her since everyone else did, but she knew it might be worth the risk. Wouldn't it? She hoped so. She didn't know when she would try to be with him in a physical relationship, but she knew she wanted to. She just hoped Booth was patient. She needed to be strong and she wasn't sure she was. She didn't understand what she was feeling at the moment, but then again, she was often confused about how she felt about things. She didn't know why she was the way she was, why she was different from the people she knew, but she was used to mixed feelings that made no sense. It was part of who she was and she was used to it.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

They were lying in bed together. Booth was staring at the ceiling and thinking about the woman who was lying next to him. He had known her for three years, they had been through a lot together, but he felt that it had all been worth it. He had never felt like he belonged to someone like he did with her. She was the exact opposite of who he was. He knew that they shouldn't get along at all since their beliefs were so different, but miraculously they got along very well. They could tell each other anything. They argued about many things, but they always found a way to understand what the other person was saying and they respected that person's beliefs or at least accepted them.

He'd had a horrible childhood and he found trust hard to give to anyone, but he had never had trouble trusting Brennan. It was a mystery to him that he felt that way and yet it wasn't. He had been gob smacked the minute he had seen her at the American University. He had been drawn to her like a bee to a flower and what a flower she was. She could kick ass when she needed to. She was brilliant and probably the smartest person he had ever met. Brennan was logical and only believed in what she could see, hear, touch or smell. She didn't believe in God, but she did believe that life was sacred. She was fascinating and he loved her. Yes, he loved her. He could finally say that with certainty. Was he setting himself up for a broken heart? He didn't know. Would she accept him into her personal life? He didn't know that either, but he prayed that it would happen. And if their relationship failed? He would never let it affect their friendship. He vowed that if they couldn't be a couple, he would accept that. He just wanted to try. He wanted to take that risk.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

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	36. Chapter 36

(The Pain the Heart)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

True to his word, Booth found out who had been given his list of who to contact and let know he was alive. Sweets had betrayed Booth's trust and the agent was furious. The fact that the psychologist was hanging out at the Lab because of his curiosity about Gormogon just made the situation more infuriating. Once he was at the Lab, he grabbed Sweets by the arm and forced him to come with him to Brennan's office where Booth informed her about Sweets' betrayal.

Angry and her feelings hurt, Brennan stood up from her chair, stared at the younger man and debated how she should handle the situation. It was important that she not betray the fact that Booth had come to her while he was undercover and had told her he was alive. "Why was I not informed, Dr. Sweets?"

He was nervous and if he was honest with himself, afraid. Sweets had used Booth's undercover assignment to try to get Brennan to recognize that she had feeling for her partner. He didn't know if it was love, but he knew that the two were attracted to each other and the constant denial by them was not good for their relationship or their partnership. Now that Booth was back, he realized that his experiment could possibly get him fired or worse, he could lose his license to practice. "Booth's undercover assignment was of vital national security and the fewer people that knew about him being alive the better. I knew that you could handle his death."

"So you assumed that I could handle Booth's death because I could compartmentalize?" Brennan stared at the younger man and considered what he had said.

"Whoa, just hold up." Booth was shocked that Sweets was trying to manipulate his partner. "What kind of shit are you trying to pull? It wasn't up to you to decide who to tell and not to tell. I was assured that everyone would be told and you didn't tell my partner."

Sweets was starting to sweat. "I was trying to keep you safe, Agent Booth. The fewer people that knew about you being alive the better."

"Is that right? Well maybe I need to talk to Deputy Director Fairburn about responsibilities and procedures that are expected by Federal employees. I'll bet he doesn't know about what you did." He noticed Sweets turn pale and he knew he had the young man by the short hairs. "You played with my partner's well being Sweets. You played with my trust. How am I supposed to do my job, if I can't trust everyone else to do theirs?"

Brennan noticed Booth's anger, the rage that seemed to be just under the surface and she knew that Sweets was in trouble. Booth wasn't a vindictive man, but he had been betrayed by someone he was supposed to be able to trust and she knew that Booth might go after the man's job. "It's alright, Booth. He made the right decision. I can compartmentalize." She hated to let Sweets get away with trying to manipulate her, but she wanted to make sure that Sweets didn't lose his job and it was vital she talked Booth out of his rage before he did something that could jeopardize his job. She knew that Booth actually liked the young man even if he was a major irritant and she didn't want her partner to do something he might regret later.

Surprised, Booth turned to look at Brennan. "He didn't do his job. He was given responsibility to make sure my friends and family knew I was alive and he didn't do that. It was cruel and unprofessional."

Afraid that Booth was about to ruin his career, Sweets turned to face Brennan. "I did it for national security. I knew you could handle it and you did. That terrorist needed to be caught and we did it . . . Booth did it. I did what needed to be done."

"I understand." Brennan walked over to where Booth was standing and placed her hand on his arm. "I handled it, Booth. There was no harm done. Just let it go."

"Are you sure?" He couldn't understand why Brennan was taking Sweets' side, but if she wanted him to let it go, he supposed he could do that. Still, he was angry that he and Brennan had been used. Facing Sweets, Booth spit out an ultimatum. "I'll let it go for now, but if you ever pull this shit again, I'll have your job, Sweets. No one fucks with me and gets away with it."

Barely able to speak, Sweets nodded his head. "It won't happen again." Thankful that Brennan had saved his career, the young man turned and faced Brennan. "Thank you and I'm sorry if this caused you any upset. I was thinking about national security, but I probably should have considered your feelings too. I'm sorry that I didn't think it completely through."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan returned to her desk and sat back down only to have to stand back up when Hodgins entered the room and asked them to come to the vault with him. Once Booth was out of hearing, Brennan grabbed Sweets' arm. "You experimented with me. You experimented on Booth. You tried to manipulate us. If you ever try that again you will have more than Booth to worry about. Do you understand?"

His throat dry, Sweets merely nodded his head. His job was safe for now and he knew that he had better be very careful how he handled the partners in the future. He had made a mistake and that mistake could have been a disaster for him.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The skeleton was gone and everyone realized that the chaos caused by the failed experiment earlier that day in which Zach had been injured had been used by Gormogon to steal his skeleton back. They had long suspected that Gormogon had access to the Lab and now they had proof.

As the clues unfolded, they started to lead in a direction that Brennan didn't want to go. There was the fact that the mandible had been treated with Ultra-violet light before it had been mailed to Brennan. It was noticeable by both her and Cam and that led Brennan to realize that the mandible could have been hidden in 'Modular Skeletal Storage' or 'Limbo' to everyone else, along with the rest of Ray Porter's body.

Assigning her grad students with the task of looking through 10,000 boxes of skeletal remains located in Limbo, they were tasked with looking for anomalies in the boxes. Brennan was searching for the rest of Ray Porter's remains and she suspected they would be found by her interns and they were.

The next clue stunned Brennan. The marks left on Ray Porter's mandible had pointed to real teeth and not dentures being used to render the flesh from the bone. Zach had been the one to say it was dentures, but she realized that even a first year intern would have not made that mistake. Horrified she realized that Zach had hidden the bones in Limbo. He had arranged the disastrous experiment that had actually injured himself. He had done that so Gormogon could steal his silver skeleton back. Zach had betrayed her. He had betrayed them all.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Zach was in custody and everyone that knew and loved him was devastated. They couldn't understand how Zach had let himself be used as a pawn by a cannibalistic serial killer. Zach was a genius and he loved logic. He had failed to assimilate in the real world, but he had assimilated at the Lab and everyone had considered him part of the family.

While Brennan floundered, trying to accept what had happened, Booth sat by her on the stair well with his arm around her shoulders. "You can't blame yourself for what Zach did, Bones. He's a grown man and he made those decisions on his own . . . He could have come to you and asked you what to do when Gormogon approached him, but he chose not to do it. This is all on him." It made Booth angry that someone he had trusted would betray him and almost get Brennan and him killed. The Master had been informed by Zach that the skeleton being moved to Bethesda had been a trick and he'd had time to rig up a satchel bomb that he has used against Booth and Brennan. Later the Master had almost drowned a child at the bottom of a pool to get away from Booth and within a few days Ray Porter had been murdered. All of this had been done with Zach's help and Booth was not in a forgiving mood. On the other hand, he knew that Brennan was in emotional pain over her assistant's betrayal and he would not rub salt in her wounds. "Look, you did a lot for him. You made him your intern and you helped him get his doctorate. You treated him like family and you tried to protect him from a world he really didn't understand. Please don't blame yourself for what he did."

Filled with sadness, Brennan heard Booth's words and knew that he was right, but it still felt like she had failed Zach in some way. She loved Zach like a brother and she felt like he had died. He was going to be locked up for the rest of his days and she would never be able to work with him again. She'd never watch while he competed with Hodgins to be King of the Lab. She had relied on him to make her job easier and now he was no longer in the Lab. He was no longer allowed to be in the general public. He was going to be institutionalized and she couldn't stop it. "Could we go home?"

Puzzled, Booth wasn't sure what Brennan was asking him. "Do you want me to drive you to your apartment?"

"If that's what you want to do." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I want to be with you, Booth." She felt betrayed and she wanted to be with the one person in the world she felt would never betray her. "I want you to stay with me tonight."

Afraid to assume anything, Booth removed his arm from her shoulders and clasped his hands together. "Sure, Bones. I'll stay with you."

She knew he didn't understand, but once they were in her apartment he would. She wanted to make love to her partner, to her friend. She wanted to feel something other than guilt and horror. Booth was the one person in her life that she knew she could count on. He had been betrayed by Sweets and she had been betrayed by Zach, but they had each other. They could count on loyalty from their partner and Brennan decided that loyalty and trust was all she needed from Booth. She trusted him and she wanted a relationship with him. She thought he loved her, he had said he did and even if she wasn't sure she loved him, she admired and liked him and wanted to be with him. She was willing to take a risk. It might not turn out well, but she knew that their friendship was safe. He would not betray her. He would not walk away from her and that was all she had ever wanted. Someone that she could count on.

Oooooooooooooooooo

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	37. Chapter 37

(After 'The Pain in the Heart')

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Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

He couldn't believe his life had changed so much in such a short space of time. He and Brennan had crossed the line together and were now in a personal relationship. They had talked it over and they both agreed that their relationship needed to remain a secret for a while. They weren't sure what the FBI would do about their partnership and they wanted to work together for as long as they could. If their partnership was dissolved, they were confident that their relationship would remain intact. They had gone through too much to change their minds about that now. They were both determined to have a successful relationship and they wouldn't allow changes in their partnership to destroy it.

Though he had plenty of work to do, Booth found that he wasn't in the mood to do anything work related. The last two evenings had been spent with Brennan in her apartment and the euphoria he felt was a high he didn't want to come down from.

"Agent Booth." Sweets stood in the doorway and was puzzled by Booth's lack of response. He raised his voice and stepped into the room. "Agent Booth!"

Startled, Booth looked towards the door to see who his visitor was. "What do you want?"

Clearing his throat, Sweets ran his hand down the front of his jacket betraying how nervous he was. "May I speak to you?" He needed to clear some things up with Booth since the man was head of Major Crimes. Worried that Booth might bar him from profiling any cases, the young man knew he had to apologize and if needed to grovel. "I won't take up too much of your time since I know you're busy."

The sight of Sweets reminded Booth that he had unfinished business with the psychologist. "Come in and close the door." Once the door was closed, he motioned for the younger man to sit on the chair in front of his desk.

Still afraid that the agent might find a way to get him terminated, Sweets licked his lower lip and wished he'd had a drink of water before he'd come to Booth's office. His mouth was so dry, he found it hard to swallow. "Um, I'm here to apologize to you. I have thought over my actions and I know that what I did was disrespectful to you and Dr. Brennan, but I really did feel like what I had done was in the best interests of National Security . . ."

Quickly holding up his right hand, Booth interrupted his visitor; "Hold it right there . . . You can't tell me in one breath that you realize you were disrespectful and you want to apologize then in the next breath, tell me that you think what you did was right. That is bullshit. You're either apologizing or you're not."

Aware that the Agent was angry and that Brennan wasn't there to calm the man down, he knew that he had mis-stepped and he needed to fix it. "No, you're right. I do apologize. I was just giving you my reason for doing what I did, but I was wrong to do what I did. I should have contacted Dr. Brennan and I will never let this happen again."

"You're damn right you won't." Booth leaned back against his chair and studied the man for a few seconds. "I've talked to my ex, Rebecca and to my grandfather and I've given them a list of contacts. If I'm ever put in this position again, they will contact everyone on the list and let them know what's going on. I can't trust you or the FBI to do what's right."

The surprised him. "Oh look, I don't think you can do that." Sweets was worried that Booth was willing to flaunt protocol. "There are procedures . . ."

"Fuck procedures." Booth glared at the psychologist and tried to rein in his anger. "If I can't rely upon the FBI to make sure procedures are followed then why the hell would I care about them either? . . . I've talked to Fairburn and I told him that from now on, I want the Assistant Deputy Director to call my contact list. I told him that you'd skipped telling Bones about me being alive and I can't allow that to happen again."

Alarmed, Sweets swallowed hard. "Wait, you told the Deputy Director I didn't tell Dr. Brennan? When did you do that?" He hadn't heard from Fairburn, but he knew it was inevitable. "I thought you weren't going to talk to him about this."

"I told you I wouldn't go after your job and I didn't, but I can't trust you to do the right thing when it comes to my personal interests." Booth leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. "You betrayed me and Dr. Brennan. I don't give a shit what your reasons were for doing what you did. I trust the FBI to follow procedures. That allows me to do my job knowing that everyone has my back. You do not have my back and I won't forget that."

His heart beat racing, Sweets was frightened. "I did what I did to protect your mission. I didn't tell Dr. Brennan because she's socially awkward and very blunt. She might have told Angela or Dr. Saroyan that you were alive. I had to make sure you were safe. You were dealing with a terrorist . . . a terrorist."

Unsure if he was being lied to or not, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I will allow you to continue to work with us as our profiler. You're pretty good at that and I don't plan to take this any further, but you did betray me and I won't forget it . . . ever."

"I'm sorry, Agent Booth. I really am." Sweets wasn't sure what the future would bring, but he knew that he would have to find a way to make up for what he had done to the Agent and Brennan. "I made some poor decisions and . . . well, it won't happen again. I promise you that."

Waving his hand towards the door, Booth had had enough of the conversation. "I have work to do."

Standing, Sweets knew that he had been dismissed. "I . . . I'm sorry."

Once the young man had left his office, Booth leaned back against his chair once more and thought about the wonderful evening he'd had in the arms of his partner. Making love to her had been everything that he'd thought it would be and he knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure their relationship worked. She was everything that he wanted.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The last two weeks had been an emotional roller coaster for Brennan. She had witnessed her partner shot by a stalker and been told he had died. She had mourned his passing only to have her partner show up at her apartment to make sure she knew he was alive. The funeral had been chaotic with Booth struggling to overcome the terrorist who had come to his funeral and forcing her to intervene to help him. The serial killer, Gormogon had vied for her attention and ultimately her associate, Zach had been exposed as Gormogon's apprentice. That betrayal was hard to take and she had floundered emotionally trying to reconcile what he'd done.

Thankfully, Booth had been there to help her through that. Zach's betrayal had hurt her very much. Her associate was a man of science and logic and to see him betray everything they both believed in by being swayed by a cold-blooded killer was heart breaking and unfathomable. "If Zach, who has a higher IQ than I do, can fall for the deceptive logic that Gormogon used to make Zach betray his beliefs, then aren't I just as susceptible?"

Surprised that Brennan had even gone there, Booth rolled onto his side and placed his hand on her hip. "Zach has been living in a bubble for a long time. He's not adaptable and he's incapable of adjusting to normal society. The Army got rid of him because he couldn't adapt and he was endangering the men he worked with . . . You are capable of adapting. You've worked on digs in dangerous situations and you did it successfully. You work with the FBI and you're the reason why our success rate with cold cases is so high. If Gormogon had approached you, you would have seen through his fallacies in a heart beat because a high IQ doesn't mean anything unless you also have common sense to go with it. Zach doesn't have common sense. He never has . . . I absolutely know that you'd never fall for shit like Zach did because you have tons of common sense."

He trusted her and Brennan appreciated that. Booth had found a logical way to answer her questions and she loved him for that. "I wish he had come to me when he was approached by Gormogon. I would have helped him to see that he was being manipulated."

"The only one to blame in this situation is Zach. Stop beating yourself up for what he did." Booth moved his hand slowly up and down her hip. "He's an adult and he made his own decisions. You didn't do anything wrong." He saw her nod her head and he hoped he was getting through to her. "Hey, you'll get a new intern to help you at the Lab and you'll do your job like you always do. Don't let this get you down, Bones." He moved closer and kissed her. "I have your back. 24/7, I have your back. You're not alone in this mess. I'm right here with you."

His kindness made her heart beat faster. Placing her hand behind his head, she kissed him long and passionately. "I missed you. That is a thought that keeps popping into my head. When I thought you were dead . . . I missed you."

"Yeah and I missed you too." Booth knew that Brennan was trying to come to terms with a lot that had happened to her in the last two weeks and he regretted that he had caused her any pain. "I talked to Rebecca and Pops. If the FBI ever forces me to go undercover and I don't get a chance to talk to you about it . . . they've promised me that they'll tell you what's going on. I told Sweets that too. He didn't like it, but I don't care. He betrayed us and I'm not ready to forgive him or trust him, at least not yet. He needs to prove to me that we can trust him."

"But you aren't going to get him fired, are you?" Brennan didn't want Sweets to be fired. He was young, inexperienced and what he had done was professionally unethical, but he worked well with Booth as a profiler and she knew that Booth actually liked the boy.

His hand stopped and he rolled back onto his back. "No, I should, but no. He came by my office today and I told him that he can still be my profiler, but I don't trust him to have my back. He hurt you, he made you think I was dead and that's wrong. I don't get why he thought that was okay. You're trustworthy and his excuse was bullshit . . . If it ever looks like I've been killed or something don't trust the FBI to tell you the truth. Check with Pops and Rebecca. They should know what's going on."

"I will." Brennan move closer to Booth and draped her arm across his chest. "You have Parker on Saturday. If we're going to keep our relationship a secret, I think it would be best if you slept in your apartment tomorrow. I may drop by to visit with Parker on Sunday afternoon, if you want me to."

"Of course, I want you to." Booth moved his hand and placed it on her arm. "I'm going to miss sleeping with you. We've only been together for three days and I already hate sleeping alone."

She felt the same way. "It will only be for two days . . . I may pack a bag and come over Monday night. It's not fair to you if we just use my apartment to sleep together."

"Thanks." Booth sighed. "You know you can call me this weekend if you want to." He knew that he might be tempted to call Brennan, but he didn't want her to think he was smothering her. He knew that she was working on a new book and she'd probably like the solitude. "Hey, you can work on that novel you're writing. Maybe you'll get more done when I'm not around."

"I know I will, but it won't be as fun as when you're here." Brennan was enjoying her new-found relationship very much. "I find that I am more relaxed when you are staying with me. I've never felt like this before. Most of my relationships have been based upon convenience and mutual desire . . . I like this relationship better."

He didn't really care to hear about her past relationships, but he listened and appreciated what she was trying to tell him. "I love you Bones. That's the difference. I love you and I want this to work."

Her throat was tight from emotion, so she remained silent. She hoped that Booth would be patient with her. She wasn't used to being in a relationship like this and she wasn't sure what the rules were. She knew that there were relationship rules, since both he and Angela had mentioned them in the past, but she wasn't aware of what they were. She also needed to be patient with Booth. He was emotional and she knew that sooner or later that was going to cause a problem. She just hoped it wouldn't a serious problem. She was starting to believe that she loved him and she was sure they could overcome any obstacles that came their way. At least she hoped so.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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	38. Chapter 38

(After 'The Pain in the Heart')

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had finally accepted the fact that she would have to hire a new intern for the Lab. After talking with Cam, it was decided they would start a rotation of interns using Brennan's graduate students. She never wanted to become attached to anyone like she had Zach. She had trained him and taught him everything she knew as a forensic anthropologist and he had misused that knowledge to help a serial killer. It was Brennan's plan to pick a few interns from her classes at the University and give them the benefit of her experience in a field they planned to make a career in. She would use their help in the Lab, so she could continue to go out in the field with her partner. She realized that she would have to lower her expectations because it was highly doubtful she would ever find another assistant like Zacharia Addy. He was a genius and in that rarefied percentage of extreme intelligence.

Cam felt that Brennan wanted to use the rotating interns as a way to avoid becoming attached to any of them. She knew that her forensic anthropologist had loved Zach and she wanted to avoid another broken heart and she didn't blame her. The shock everyone had felt when Zach had turned out to be the apprentice of Gormogon was still reverberating through the Lab. Cam had known that Zach would break her heart the day she had met him. He was naïve and lived in a bubble of his own making. The longer she had known him the more she had realized how isolated he was from normal companionship and human interaction and that has worried her. Now he was locked up in an institution and he would be there for the rest of his life. Rotating interns might be good for all of them.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Booth was starting to feel like his relationship with Brennan was real. They had been together for two months and though they'd had a few arguments along the way they were easily forgiven and they continued to learn what it meant to be in a personal relationship.

So far, no one knew that they were a couple and Booth was starting to think about how they could break the news to the FBI and the Lab. He didn't want to risk losing Brennan as his partner, but sooner or later someone was going to find out that they were living together and it would not go well if it was determined that Booth and Brennan were trying to hide their relationship. He knew that it was better to be up front about it, but Brennan was afraid of the repercussions. "Look Bones. We have the chance to have some control of this thing. If someone figures out that we're a couple and we've been hiding it . . . well, we'll appear to be dishonest and the FBI might cancel your contract. I think if we approach Fairburn about this and just tell him that we're more than partners we might have a chance to keep working together . . . He likes you and you know it. Let's take advantage of that."

Filled with anxiety, Brennan sat on the couch next to Booth staring at the clock on the wall. "You know there is a no fraternization rule, Booth. We'll lose our partnership. I don't see how the FBI will overlook a rule for us."

"It's true we might lose our partnership if we say something, but we can't hide our relationship forever and I don't want to." Booth took her hand in his hand and gently squeezed it. "Look, no matter what happens we're not going to break up, okay? I really want to work with you, but if I can't that won't affect how I feel about you. You and me are together. I love you and I won't give up on our relationship if the FBI breaks up the team. You can trust me on this one, Bones. I'm not going anywhere."

She heard him and she wanted to believe that everything would work out, but she loved working with Booth in the field. Staring at their clasped hands, Brennan decided that Booth was right. Hiding their relationship was not really an option. "If they did break my contract, I can still work for the CIA and the Pentagon as well as teach at the University. The Lab can offer our expertise to Homeland Security as well."

"Yeah, you can do all those things." Booth hoped that it didn't come to that, but if it did then they would adapt. "I think I'll make an appointment with Fairburn and tell him what's going on. We need to get it out in the open before someone rats us out."

Reluctantly, Brennan agreed with his plan. "I think you're right. I just hope the FBI isn't foolish enough to break up our team . . . what happens if they decide to hire a new forensic anthropologist? There isn't anyone as good as I am of course, but there are a few that might be of some help to the FBI."

Amused at the snobby way she had commented, Booth smiled. "Hey, I'm the head of my department and I don't have to go out into the field if I don't want to. In fact, I'm not really supposed to, but my bosses look the other way because of our solve rate . . . If they hire a new anthropologist, I will not work with him or her. I'll follow the letter of my job description and stay in my office."

"You'd hate that. You're a man of action." Brennan was worried that Booth would end up hating his job and perhaps her. "You know that you love investigating crime."

"I love investigating, but if the FBI screws up my partnership, I will punish them." Booth kissed the back of her hand. "I am a man of action, but I have hockey and I work out. I'm sure I can burn off some of my energy that way. Don't worry about me. You're my partner and I won't work with someone else. Okay?"

Brennan slowly nodded her head. "Just like I won't work with a lesser agent than you."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

With a plan in mind, Booth made an appointment to see Deputy Director Fairburn the next day. Much to his consternation, Fairburn called him to his office after lunch. He had expected to be put off for a few days, so Fairburn calling him in so quickly made him feel off center. Once he was outside his boss's boss's office, Booth knew that he had a small window of opportunity to get this right. Entering Fairburn's office, he found the man sitting at his desk looking at something on his PC.

"Sir?" Booth walked over to the desk and stood there waiting.

Pointing at one of the chairs in front of his desk, Fairburn closed the file on his computer and turned to face his Head of Major Crime. "So, what can I do for you, Booth?"

Calmly, Booth sat down, nodded his head and spoke. "I need to let you know about a change in my personal life. I'm in a relationship with Dr. Temperance Brennan. We've been seeing each other for about two months."

"I see." It amused the Deputy Director that Booth actually thought his relationship was a secret. There had been a pool in operation for months about the partners and quite a few of the gamblers were certain that the partners were a couple already. Everyone had noticed a change between Booth and Brennan in the last few weeks and they were sure they knew what it was. "Thank you for letting me know." Turning back to his PC, Fairburn opened up another file.

Confused, Booth frowned at the man and wondered what was happening. "Dr. Brennan and I are living together. I need you to know that because of the no fraternization rule."

Turning back to face Booth, Fairburn clasped his hands and placed them on his desk. "That rule is between FBI Agents. Dr. Brennan is not an agent. She's a scientist that consults for us . . . Congratulations on your relationship change. Is that all?"

A little befuddled, Booth stood up and held his hands on the back of the chair. "The FBI doesn't care about my relationship with my partner?"

"Not really. If and when you get married, you'll need to let Human Resources know about it." Fairburn wanted to laugh. The look on Booth's face was priceless. "You will need to fill out a paper so that Dr. Brennan will be contacted in the future if something happens to you. We don't want a repeat of what happened a few weeks ago . . . I talked to Dr. Sweets and I let him know that not telling Dr. Brennan about your undercover assignment was not acceptable and he will no longer be involved in family notifications . . . He's also on probation for three months. He said he apologized to you and I think that's as far as it needs to go since no harm seems to have been done to your relationship with Dr. Brennan."

Stunned that this meeting had taken such a bizarre turn, Booth nodded his head, almost speechless. Clearing his throat, Booth felt like he'd stepped into a Twilight Zone episode. "Um, thank you, Sir. I'll let Human Resources know."

"You and Dr. Brennan are the best team we have at the FBI at the moment. We'd be stupid to break up your partnership, Booth. Between you and your partner, you've solved cold cases that should have remained cold. You two do amazing work and we want to keep your team intact and doing what you do best. You're a valuable asset to this organization. You and your partner. Now, if that's all, I really have some work to do."

"Thank you, Sir." Afraid to say anything else, Booth left the office. He had expected a fight and what he got was a capitulation. It floored him that he'd been worried about his relationship with Brennan and that worry had all been for nothing. Maybe his life was taking a big turn for the better. He'd had a hard life and he'd come to have little hope for a happy one, but the last several weeks had changed everything. Maybe his luck was changing.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

As soon as Booth was out of his office, Fairburn made a call. "Hey Max, meet me at our usual place tonight for dinner. I'll let Sally know that I'm having dinner with you. I need to talk to you."

 _About what?_

"I'll tell you tonight." The call ended, the Deputy Director laughed. He was looking forward to seeing Max. Their conversation was going to be very interesting.

Later that evening, Fairburn was looking over the menu when his cousin-in-law sat down beside him. "Glad you could make it."

"Alright Carl, quit being so mysterious. I'm here. Now what do you want to talk to me about?" Max picked up the menu and looked it over. He hated surprises and he hoped that Carl didn't keep his secret very long.

Once the waitress had taken both of their orders, Carl leaned on the table and smiled. "I found out some very interesting news today."

Annoyed that Carl was smirking at him, Max sipped some water and glared at the man. "So, tell me."

"Well, it would seem that Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan are romantically involved." Carl watched Max closely to see how he would react.

"It's about damn time." Max shook his head. "I knew there was something there the minute I saw those two together. I was worried that they were going to pussyfoot around their attraction forever. They sure didn't seem to be in a hurry to get together."

Carl leaned back as the waitress placed a glass of Coke in front of him and another glass in front of Max. Once the waitress was gone, Carl sipped some of his drink and placed the glass down. "I don't know what happened, but I think Booth being shot might have been the catalyst. He came to me today and told me that he and Tempe are in a relationship. I think he expected me to break up his partnership or at least make some threats. When I didn't do that, he just looked at me like I was nuts. It was pretty funny. I wish I could tell him that he's part of my family now, but that's not going to happen. You and I don't even know each other as far as the world is concerned and that's the way it has to be."

"I'm glad they're together." Max stared down at his clasped hands. "My daughter has been alone for a long time and I'm sure she thinks her family is terrible. We're always leaving her behind. I'm never leaving her again, but she doesn't trust me and who can blame her. At least with Booth, she has someone she can count on."

Since he agreed with Max, Carl shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't stick your nose in their business. It's their relationship and not yours. Get it?"

"Yeah, I do." Max sighed. "I hope Tempe is happy. I want her to be happy."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	39. Chapter 39

(After 'The Pain in the Heart')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

It took a little while for everyone at the Lab to figure out that Booth and Brennan were a couple. No one at the Hoover bothered to say anything to the Lab people about the relationship change and Angela would never forgive them for that.

In a hurry, Brennan was signing off on reports as quickly as possible so she could leave when her friend Angela entered her office. "Bren, would you like to go out with me tonight. I have a date with a really hunky guy and he has a friend."

"No thank you." The last report signed, Brennan gathered them all together and slipped them into a folder.

"What? Why? You never go out with me anymore." Angela was starting to worry about her friendship. "Are you angry with me about something?"

Startled, Brennan placed the folder on the edge of her desk and stood up. "Why would I be angry with you?" She moved over to the coat tree and retrieved her coat and purse. "I cannot go out with you tonight because Booth and I are meeting my father for dinner."

"Well, I guess that's a good excuse . . . Would you like to go with me to a new club I know about tomorrow night." Angela had found out about the club from Judy in Accounting and wanted to see if it was as great as the accountant claimed. "I was told that the boy girl ratio isn't too bad."

Her coat now on and the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Brennan prepared to leave. "I can't go with you, Angela. Booth and I are going out to the Blues Alley Club tomorrow night. It's a jazz club. I'm looking forward to it."

Exasperated, Angela folded her arms against her breasts. "If you aren't angry with me, then pick a day and we'll go out together."

"I'll have to check with Booth and see what he has planned, but I may be free Saturday night." Brennan was moving towards the doorway when she heard her friend call out to her.

"Why do you have to check with Booth?" Angela was furious. "Is he your new best friend now?"

After she glanced at her watch, Brennan realized that she was running late and Booth was probably waiting for her in the parking garage. "No, of course not. You're still my best friend. I really need to go, Angela."

As she watched Brennan hurry away, Angela found that her anger wouldn't go away. She was trying to be Brennan's best friend and confident, but she felt like Booth was more important to her especially since he'd been shot and everyone had thought he'd died. That thought made her realize that maybe she was being selfish. Brennan had had quite a scare when Booth had been shot and she had mourned his death in her own way for two weeks. Feeling that perhaps she was being too harsh and unfeeling Angela decided that she needed to apologize. Rushing down the hallway, she tried to catch Brennan before she left the building. The parking garage elevator in use, she moved over to the stairs and climbed them as fast as she could. Once she was on the proper floor, she exited the door just in time to seen Brennan enter Booth's SUV, lean over and kiss him. The kiss wasn't a friendly kiss, but a rather passionate kiss and Angela felt warm just watching them.

Astonished, she slipped back into the stairwell and stared through the little glass window as both Booth and Brennan kissed for a few moments longer. Once they separated, Booth drove down the ramp and away into the night. "Well, I'll be damned . . . I'm going to kill them. Well, not kill them, but hiding a relationship from me? Oh no, that is not going to fly . . . no indeed."

Oooooooooooooooooo

They met Max at 'The Dabney'. Brennan had told Booth that Max had told her that he loved the restaurant and Booth had agreed that it would be a nice place to eat. Brennan's father was already seated when they arrived and they joined him at the table.

"I'm glad you two could make it. I was afraid a dead body was going to crop up somewhere and you'd cancel."

As she picked up the menu from the table, Brennan glanced at her father before reading the menu. "I had to sign off several reports before I could leave work this evening. We aren't late."

"No, you aren't late, I was just early." Max watched as the waitress approached, stopped then rushed over to speak to an older woman standing at the back of the restaurant. Curious he watched them as they both hurried toward their table.

"Oh, Dr. Brennan, you should have called and let us know you were coming. I would have given you a table at the front of the restaurant." The manager was nervous. The last thing she wanted was for a world class mystery author to give her restaurant a bad review.

Surprised, Brennan looked up from the menu and pointed at her father. "There was no need to tell you I was coming. We're the guests of my father. Now if you will allow us to look at our menus, I would appreciate it."

Amused, Booth watched the manager apologize while the waitress offered to bring a free appetizer while they looked over their menus. Not one to turn down free food, Booth quickly acknowledged the offer and thanked the server. Once she was gone, Booth turned his gaze back at the menu. "We should tell them who you are whenever we go out if they're going to offer us free food."

Irritated, Brennan shook her head and glared at her boyfriend. "I am quite capable of paying for my food, Booth. We don't need free food and I don't think it's necessary to tell everyone who I am. They either know me or they don't."

Chuckling, Max placed his menu down and picked up his glass of water. "So, you two are together now? A little birdie told me that you're dating."

Not really surprised, Booth turned his attention upon Max. "Yeah, we're together. Since I just told my boss four days ago, I think you found out pretty fast. Got someone in the FBI feeding you information?"

"Of course, I do." Max laughed. If only he could tell the couple that Tempe's cousin-in-law was the Deputy Director of the FBI. But he knew he couldn't. "I have an inside man everywhere."

Poking his tongue against the inside of his mouth, Booth tried to decide if Max was telling them the truth or if he was conning them. Before he could make up his mind, the free appetizer arrived and his attention was diverted.

Her mind made up about what she wanted for dinner, Brennan closed the menu and turned her attention towards her father. "Booth and I have been having sex for several weeks."

Appalled, Booth glared at Brennan. "Hey, you don't have to tell the world that stuff. It's no one's business but ours."

Not sure if her boyfriend was being prudish or not, Brennan shook her head. "I am not telling the world, Booth. I am telling Max."

"Yeah . . . just . . ." Since he knew he wouldn't win that argument, Booth bit into his stuffed mushroom and decided that there was nothing he could do about Brennan's bluntness.

Max waved the waitress back over and had her take their orders. That done, Max smiled at the couple. "Are you two planning to get married anytime soon?"

"Of course not." Brennan cut up her stuffed mushroom and popped a piece of it into her mouth.

Pursing his lips, Max glanced at Booth then back at his daughter. "You're not getting married?"

"No, we're not." Booth wanted to get married, but he didn't think he'd be able to convince Brennan to do it. Since he wanted her in his life, he wasn't about to put conditions on their relationship. "This is none of your business anyway. What we do and don't do is not your concern."

"But, I'm your father, Tempe." Max wasn't sure who didn't want to get married in this relationship, but he didn't like it. "Don't I have a right to know about what's going on in your life?"

After she sipped some water, Brennan placed the glass down and answered him. "No, you don't. You haven't been in my life for the last fifteen years. I am an adult and I don't need you to tell me what to do. I am willing to let you in my life, Max, but in small proportions. You may not tell me what I can and cannot do." She still didn't know if she wanted her father back in her life. She needed to be able to trust him, but her father had abandoned her twice in her life and that wasn't easy to forgive or forget.

The temperature rising in the room, Booth decided it was time to change the subject. "So Max, how's life in Coos Bay?"

"I'm not living in Coos Bay anymore." Max appreciated that Booth was trying to calm the situation down. "I went back, packed up my stuff and moved to a little apartment in Bailey's Crossroads in Virginia."

"You're living in the area?' Brennan was surprised. She had thought that her father was still living in Oregon and was just visiting.

Max smiled at his daughter while buttering a roll. "I'm here for you, Tempe. No more running away. I'm here to stay. I've been out of your life for a long time and I want to make up for that. I'm never leaving you again. For better or worse, I'm here for you."

Speechless, Brennan stared at her plate trying to understand her father's motives. The man was confusing and not very trustworthy. He'd abandoned her as a child and once again in the last year. Regardless of what the jury had decided at his trial, her father was a murderer and a dangerous man. She would have to think about whether or not she really wanted him in her life. In the meantime, she would observe him and see if he really meant it when he was said he was here to stay.

Booth could see Brennan thinking and that meant she was trying to understand what was going on. He hoped that she would give Max a chance, but like always, he would back whatever decision she made about her father. He liked Max for some reason, but Brennan came first.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan entered the Lab the next day unaware of what was waiting for her. As she moved down the hallway towards her office, she noticed Hodgins standing outside his office giving her the thumbs up which seemed an odd thing to do. Why he was signaling a good job to her was puzzling, but she knew that the man was unpredictable most of the time and decided not to worry about it.

As she entered her office, she noticed Angela sitting on her couch staring straight ahead. "Hello Angela." Moving over to the coat rack, she pulled her jacket off and hung it there as well as her purse. "Do you need something from me?"

Barely able to control her excitement, Angela stood up rushed over to where Brennan was standing and hugged her. "I know and I am so excited for you."

Confused, Brennan stood stiffly in Angela's arms until her friend released her. "You are excited for me about what exactly? What do you know?"

Releasing her friend, Angela laughed and shook her head. "You are so bad for not telling me, but I forgive you. I really do. How long have you and Booth been bumping the uglies?"

"Bumping the uglies?" Brennan moved around her desk and sat down. "What does that mean?"

A little exasperated, Angela leaned on Brennan's desk. "How long have you and Booth been a couple? I assume that you're having sex with your partner after I saw that hot kiss you gave him last night in his truck."

Enlightened, Brennan smiled. "We've been a couple since Booth was resurrected from the dead . . . that's just a metaphor since he really wasn't dead and resurrection is impossible . . . We became a couple after Zach was arrested as Gormogon's accomplice."

"But why the secrecy?" Angela sat down on the chair in front of Brennan's desk and leaned forward. "Why not just tell everyone?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan answered honestly. "We were worried about the FBI's non-fraternization rule. We were worried that the FBI would sever my contract . . . We waited until a few days ago and Booth told the Deputy Director. He says my contract is safe since I am not an FBI employee, so we were worried about something we shouldn't have."

"Wait a minute. Booth told the FBI, but no one told anyone here? Did you tell Cam yet?" Angela couldn't believe that Brennan and Booth hadn't told any of their friends. "We're your friends. You should have told us right away."

Brennan studied her friend for a few moments and finally answered. "Booth and I didn't think it would be necessary to make an announcement. We're in a relationship, but we aren't getting married. I haven't really thought about it, but yes I do need to tell Human Resources since I need to add Booth to my life insurance policy and of course Cam should be told since she is my supervisor . . . Yes, thank you for reminding me that I do have to inform a few people for legal reasons."

"But you should have told me since I'm your friend." Angela was growing very irritated. "That is what friends do."

"Oh, I see." Brennan nodded her head. "There are a lot of social obligations and relationship rules that I am not aware of. Booth and you have told me about some of them in the past, but no one mentioned rules regarding friends and new relationships. I will remember this one. Thank you for pointing it out . . . Angela, Booth and I are in a sexual relationship. Is that what you needed to hear or is there more?"

She couldn't help but be amused. Brennan confounded her sometimes, but she never did anything maliciously. "No Honey, you did that right. Thank you . . . So, what's he like in bed?"

Quickly holding up her hand, Brennan stopped Angela from continuing. "Booth is a private person and he would not like me to go into details about our sex life. I will tell you that it is very satisfactory and he's very attentive."

Disappointed, Angela stood up. "Party pooper . . . well you better go tell Cam about your relationship change. I may have mentioned it to Hodgins and you know he can't keep a secret."

"Alright." Brennan wanted to admonish Angela for telling Hodgins, but she knew that Angela had a hard time keeping secrets too. Hodgins wasn't the only one at the Lab who was a gossiper. "I am sorry I didn't tell you Angela, but I have told you now."

"Yes, you have." Angela was happy for her friend. "I'm glad you and Booth are together, Bren. He loves you and I think he'll make you happy."

The thought of Booth's kisses that morning as she left his SUV made her feel warm and happy. "Yes, he does love me."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	40. Chapter 40

(Yanks in the U.K.)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Booth and Brennan were invited to London for two separate events, but they both took advantage of it and decided to use the trip as a vacation for both of them. They found a bed and breakfast that seemed nice and it allowed them to avoid expensive hotels. Brennan had been to England several times over the years and she was eager to show Booth some of the great historical sites that made England so unique.

The one thing Booth wanted to see was Stonehenge. His grandfather had seen it when he was a young man serving in the Army and he had told his grandsons about it when they were studying world history in high school. The thought of giant rocks placed in a circle without using heavy machinery was amazing to him. He'd read several theories about how it was done and his grandfather had even helped him experiment in the backyard with rocks to see if the theories were possible.

"I read about a bunch of rocks standing in France, but I don't want to go there to see them. I don't think we have time." Sitting in first class, Booth sipped some of his wine, while Brennan nibbled some cheese. "You have that lecture and I have that talk I'm giving at Scotland Yard. I think we should bug out as soon as we're done." He never flew first class on planes because of the expense, but he was enjoying the luxury of it at the moment. Brennan had paid to upgrade his ticket and at first he had objected, but he had changed his mind once she had pointed out that they would be in separate parts of the plane if he refused because she only traveled first class.

"I have booked a room at a bed and breakfast in Amesbury, so we can take our time visiting Stonehenge." Brennan picked up her glass of wine and sipped the chardonnay.

Happy to be traveling with Brennan, Booth had only one regret. "I wish I could have brought Parker with us, but he's in school and he couldn't miss a week . . . I brought a camera, so I can take lots of pictures. He is going to go nuts when he sees them."

"Maybe we can take a vacation to England when Parker can go with us." Brennan loved Parker and she knew that the boy liked her. She was rarely comfortable with children, but she had enjoyed Parker's company ever since he was a small boy. For some reason, the child thought she was cool and she loved that. As far as she knew, no one else in the world would mistake her for being cool.

"Maybe." Booth didn't have a lot of money and what extra money he made he put in Parker's college fund. "So, I'll do my thing in Scotland tomorrow night and we can go to your thing in Oxford the next day. I want to hear your lecture. It should be interesting."

She wasn't sure if he would enjoy it, but if he wanted to hear her lecture then she would make sure she introduced her partner to the students. After all he was her partner and they had the best solve rate in the FBI, at least east of the Mississippi River. "We should be able to leave as soon as my lecture is done."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Booth hated Dr. Ian Wexler the minute he met him. Brennan had introduced him to the Don, but Ian had dismissed him just as quickly. Much to Booth's annoyance, Ian had started to hit upon Brennan the minute he had met her and half of his conversation was filled with innuendo of a sexual nature. Growing angry with the situation, Booth had finally placed his arm around Brennan's shoulders and smiled a rather sinister smile. "Listen Sport, Dr. Brennan is here to give a lecture to your students. Why don't you show us to the lecture hall?"

Aware that Booth was displaying his Alpha-Maleness, Brennan stepped away from Booth's arm and pointed at the building ahead. "Dr. Wexler, we do have schedule to keep and Booth and I plan to drive down to Amesbury after the lecture."

Between the sinister look from Agent Booth and Brennan's indifference to his charms, Ian realized that his guest was already taken and her boyfriend wasn't likely to share his partner with him. "Yes, of course." Ian hadn't been aware that Brennan was seeing someone before he had invited her to give a lecture, so his fantasies were being destroyed without a care from the partners. "If you will follow me." While he stepped along the path in front of them, Ian thought that he could feel Agent Booth's eyes boring into his head. It was rather uncomfortable and he vowed to make sure he knew the relationship status of anyone else he invited as a guest lecturer.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Stonehenge was all Booth hoped it would be. He was careful to take pictures from various spots on the trail next to the site and he hoped that Parker would appreciate the stones and what they represented. While they were in Amesbury, he took pictures of the town including the church, some of the buildings on High Street and The Palladian Bridge.

Brennan had been to Amesbury before and gave a guided tour to her partner. She loved the town and she loved the patina of age on everything there.

Once they were done doing the tourist things for the day, they had dinner had Piazzi which offered vegetarian dishes much to Brennan's delight and then retired to their room.

"I've never been to England before." Sitting on the settee, Booth stared at his phone checking to see if he had any messages. "Pops was here once and he loved it. He saw some castles and Stonehenge and a few historical sites. He took some pictures with black and white film which was interesting. He has an album of pictures he took during World War II and Korea. Some of them were pretty harsh, but war is harsh. I didn't see those pictures until after I joined the Army. He didn't think pictures of burning tanks and destroyed bridges were kid friendly and the pictures of his friends in bandages were kind of surreal."

She heard him talking and realized that Booth was talking too fast. Placing her hair brush down on the dresser, she turned to face her lover. "What's wrong Booth? I know that there is something wrong."

"Yeah, I just didn't want to spoil our evening." Booth held up his phone and waggled it. "Dr. Wexler and his partner are investigating a murder of an American citizen. The father of the victim is asking for the FBI to help and I'm being asked to come back to London. If we went back, we wouldn't be in charge of the investigation. I think they want to use us as window dressing to satisfy the father. I guess he's rich or powerful enough to pull strings . . . They left me a voice mail asking me to call them back."

"Are you going to call them back?" Curious, Brennan moved across the room and sat down. "We could help with the investigation if you want to do it."

Since that was the last thing he wanted to do, Booth shook his head. "No, I'm not going to call them back. I'm going to pretend I never got the message . . . This is our vacation and I want to spend it with you seeing the country side. I don't want to look at a gross body and be threatened by some rich bastard that believes the FBI works for him . . . Dr. Wexler and Scotland Yard are perfectly capable of solving the crime. They don't need us there."

Surprised that Booth was turning down the opportunity to work with Scotland Yard, Brennan placed her hand over his hand. "If you really want to do it, I won't mind. We can still see parts of London before we leave for home."

"I really don't want to give up my vacation to solve a murder, Bones." Booth pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "I want to see the sites with you. Besides, if we go back and work with Wexler, I might end up punching his lights out. He was treating you like you were a piece of meat, like you couldn't resist his charms or something."

 _Jealous, Booth is jealous._ "I'm not interested in Ian Wexler, Booth. You are my mate and I wouldn't jeopardize our relationship to be with him."

He pulled her against him and kissed her. "Good, you're my mate too." Booth couldn't help but feel possessive. The thought of Wexler trying to get into Brennan's pants infuriated him, but her declaration that she was his mate both surprised him and made him feel like she was his and his alone. "Why don't we go to bed now?"

Amused and eager, Brennan stood up and started to strip off her clothes. "I believe that we should."

Following her example, Booth was soon divested of his clothes and moving Brennan slowly towards the bed, kissing her with each step. "Maybe we'll just stay here for the week."

Oooooooooooooooooo

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	41. Chapter 41

(The Con Man in the Meth Lab)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had never met Booth's brother before, but now that he was stationed at the Pentagon, she knew that would change. Booth rarely talked about Jared. She wasn't sure why. She knew that he was a lieutenant commander in the Navy and that he was the new head of Strategic Plans and Policy, whatever that meant. She also knew that Jared shared Booth's abusive past and had been raised by their grandfather, Hank Booth.

Booth had mixed feelings about his brother being stationed at the Pentagon. He was proud that Jared was a rising star in the Navy, but he wondered what it would mean for him personally. Jared had a tendency to get into minor scrapes and used his brother and anyone else he could charm to get him out of it. Jared wasn't a bad man, far from it, but Booth considered him irresponsible and hoped he'd grown out of that phase of his life. If his brother planned to go up further in the ranks, he needed to take life more seriously.

Jared had looked forward to being assigned to the Pentagon. He had big dreams and this step was but the next rung on a ladder on his way up to the Admiralty. He knew how to play political games and he'd used that skill to his advantage on his way up the ladder. Now that he was in charge of Strategic Plans and Policy, he hoped that he could use that position as a spotlight to shine on his career. His brother had never advanced beyond Master Sargent in the Army and that was too bad for him, but he had plans and he was going to be someone important in the Navy someday. He wasn't going to just take orders, he was going to be the one who gave them.

Oooooooooooooooo

Being the new guy in town, Jared needed to find a date for an important party for a bunch of movers and shakers, but he didn't know anyone. Since his brother had been in the District for a few years, he realized that if anyone could help him get a date it was Seeley. He was impressed to find that his brother was on the fourth floor of the Hoover and the head of his division, but he hoped Seeley had higher aspirations. If his brother played his cards right, he could be running the place in the next fifteen years. He just hoped his brother's cautiousness wasn't getting in his way. "Hey Seeley." He stood in the doorway and saw a man who looked happy and healthy. "I thought I'd come by and check on you."

Glad to see his brother, Booth stood up, strode across the room and hugged him. "Hey, it's good to see you. Have you found a place yet? How's the new job?"

Flashing a smile at his brother, Jared glanced at the medals in a frame on the wall and was reminded that his brother was a hero. Someone that should be respected. "Yeah, I found an apartment not too far from the Pentagon. I've only been in my office three days, but so far it looks like I've found my niche so to speak."

"Good for you." Happy for his brother, Booth pointed at the chair next to the door. "Take a load off. Have you been to see Pops yet?"

Declining to sit, Jared shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't had time, but I plan to go see him next weekend. He and I exchange letters about once a month, so I'm up on what's going on in his life . . . Say, I've got a party that is a must attend affair and I need a date."

"Don't look at me." Booth laughed. "I'm in a serious relationship with someone else."

Annoyed, Jared rolled his eyes. "Yeah, ha ha. I'm new to the area and I don't know anyone. I was hoping you'd hook me up with someone."

Not sure if he liked the idea of being used as a dating service, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you could ask Cam. You know she's the head of the Medico Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian? She's not dating anyone that I know of, so she might go with you." He knew that Cam liked Jared and considered him like her little brother.

"Cam will definitely do. Let's go talk to her." Jared had always liked Cam. When his brother had dated her in college, he had been jealous that Seeley had found such a beautiful intelligent woman to date and the longer he had known her the more he had liked her. "She'll make the brass green with envy when they realize that she's with me."

Not sure how to take that, Booth decided that Cam could take care of herself. She would never let Jared use her and that was a fact. "Come on, we'll go over and see if she's available."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Delighted to see Jared, Cam hugged him on the platform much to the astonishment of Hodgins, Angela and Brennan. Cam was so serious at work that they couldn't believe that she would show affection for someone while on the platform in front of a dead body.

"Cam, there's a cocktail party tonight. I'm in need of a beautiful woman on my arm. Preferably a very smart one."

"I would be delighted." She had dated Booth for a few years and had grown to like Jared the few times she had seen him. He was a charming younger man who had Booth's mischievous smile and who could be quite funny when he wanted to be. "You can pick me up this evening. I'll send you an email with my address."

"Thanks Cam, you're a life saver." Pleased that he was set up for the party, Jared turned towards Brennan and gave her one of his charm smiles. "So, you know who I am. Who are you?"

Amused that Jared was unaware of who she was, Brennan smiled at Booth then turned her attention towards his brother. "I am Dr. Temperance Brennan. Your brother and I are in a sexual relationship."

Impressed that she was so blunt and open, Jared winked at his brother. "Well, he is a really lucky man. I can see that."

Not sure if Jared was serious or not, Brennan gave her partner a questioning look.

Aware that Brennan wasn't sure if she was being made fun of, Booth stepped closer. "I am a very lucky man. Bones is the leading forensic anthropologist in the country and she's my partner not just my girlfriend. She's the reason why Major Crimes has the reputation it has when it comes to solving cold cases. She and everyone here at the Lab make me look good."

"I see." Jared was impressed and he felt a twinge of jealously. Why was his brother able to find beautiful intelligent women to be in his life and he couldn't? Life just wasn't fair sometimes. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Temperance. I won't call you Bones. That is a terrible nickname."

"She likes it." Booth felt defensive. He thought Bones was a brilliant nickname and it suited her to a T. "It's what she does. It's perfect."

Brennan didn't agree but decided not to say anything. It was an old argument and nothing was going to get Booth to stop him from calling her that.

"Well, I gotta go." Jared had glanced at his watch and realized he had a meeting to get to. "Cam, I'll pick you up at eight."

Once Jared was gone, Booth moved closer to where Brennan was standing. "Now you've met Jared."

"Yes, I have." Brennan placed her hand on his arm. "I really don't like to be called Bones."

"It's a great nickname, Bones. It really is." Booth just couldn't see what was wrong with the name. "My RICO case is coming together. We may be able to go to Hawaii for vacation if I get that raise when I close this case."

Proud of her mate, Brennan squeezed his arm. "I'm glad for you."

Proud of himself, Booth glanced at his watch. "I gotta go. I'll see you tonight."

Watching Booth walk off the platform, Brennan admitted to herself that she was happy that Booth was finally getting the recognition he deserved. He was a brilliant investigator and it was time that the FBI acknowledged that fact.

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Of course, Jared hadn't been in town for a week and Booth ended up rescuing his brother. He'd warned his brother years ago that drinking was going to take him down the path that their father had followed, but Jared refused to listen and now his career was on the line. Booth had been confronted with a personal nightmare. His brother had hit a light pole with his car while drinking and driving and Jared could be court martialed for it. He had to weigh what was at stake. Colonel Wolchuck had made a demand that Booth considered blackmail, but Jared's career was in the State Police's hand. He could give his RICO case to the Colonel and he would let Jared walk away from what he had done or he could deny the Colonel his pound of flesh and watch Jared's career go down the toilet. Furious that his brother had placed him in such a situation, Booth had agreed to the blackmail.

Booth arranged to have Jared's car hauled to a body shop and he drove his brother home. Once they were outside the apartment building, Booth turned to face his brother. "What's it going to take, Jared? You hit a damn light pole. You're lucky you're not dead."

"What's what going to take? I fell asleep, it was late and I hit the pole." Jared opened the door and got out of the SUV. "I don't need lectures from you, Seeley. Just mind your own damn business."

Livid, Booth glared at his brother, realized that his brother was never going to grow up and be the man he needed to be and decided that he'd made a mistake. "I should have let you deal with the Colonel."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jared was tired, his thinking was fuzzy and he his head was starting to hurt.

"Fuck off." Booth rolled up the window and pulled out in traffic. "Damn it! What is wrong with me? Fuck!"

Watching Booth's SUV disappear into the distance, Jared shook his head and regretted it. "Help me out of a little jam and he thinks he owns me, the asshole." Moving across he street, he decided that he needed some aspirin and a hot shower.

oooooooooooooooo

Deputy Directory Carl Fairburn tried to keep track of every important case that moved through his section of the FBI and when he found out that the RICO case that was being handled by Seeley Booth was being claimed by the State Police he wanted to know why.

Afraid that he might had destroyed his career, Booth entered Fairburn's office and closed the door behind him. "You wanted to see me Sir?"

Pointing at the chair in front of his desk, Fairburn kept his face an unemotional mask. "The RICO case . . . How did the State Police get the credit for that?"

"The State Police did a lot of the work, Sir." Booth wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this mess with his career intact, but he'd try. "I helped them where I could, provided numerous leads and did some of the leg work, but it was a team effort . . . The State Attorney General for Virginia convened a grand jury and he got 62 indictments because of the work of the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations and of course the FBI. If I had accepted full credit for the case then I would have risked alienating the State Police in Virginia and we've had a lot of PR problems with outside law enforcement agencies lately. A lot of them don't want to cooperate with the FBI because they think we're glory hogs. I was just trying to show them that the FBI is their partner in going after crime, not their enemies. We need their future cooperation and if letting them take credit for the RICO case was the price, it's a small price to pay."

Fairburn listened to Booth and felt that the shit was getting deep, but he didn't know what was going on and he knew that Booth wasn't telling him everything about the RICO case. He wanted to trust Booth, but it seemed to him that the head of Major Crimes was allowing the State Police to squeeze the FBI out of a long and expensive investigation. "You did more than some leg work, Booth. I know that and you know that. You put in a lot of man hours on this case. You should have got the credit not Colonel Wolchuck."

Nervous, Booth decided that he had played the hand he had been dealt and there was nothing else he could do. "I gave it to the State Police Sir."

The man sitting in front of him was good at his job. The fact was, his department had made great strides in breaking open cases and closing cases that seemed impossible. The man was a rising star in the FBI and Fairburn had no choice but to back up Booth. "Alright, if that's the way you want it, but the next time you have a big case like this, I don't want you to be this generous. The FBI deserved more credit for this case and I will insist we get our share of good publicity in the future. I hope I'm understood."

Surprised that Fairburn was going to allow this to slide, Booth nodded his head. "Yes Sir. I . . . Yes, Sir." He didn't want to say anything else. He knew that he was being given a pass and he was puzzled about why that was happening. On the other hand, maybe he should just take the win and walk away. "The State Attorney was on the news a little while a go and he gave us more recognition than Wolchuck did. He acknowledged that the case might not have been as successful without us."

"Without you." Whatever Booth was hiding, he hoped the loss of his chance of a raise and promotion was worth it. The RICO case could have moved him up in rank, but now there was no reason to. "Alright, I have work to do and so do you."

Grateful that he still had a job, Booth left the office with a sense of relief. If only he felt that what he had done for his brother had been worth it. He did know one thing. He would never jeopardize his job again for his brother. He wasn't sure why he had taken the risk this time except that Jared was his brother and he loved him.

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	42. Chapter 42

(The Con Man in the Meth Lab)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Angela has shown her a news clip that Brennan found disturbing. A Colonel Wolchuk was taking credit for Booth's RICO case and she didn't know why. The last time she had heard about the RICO case, her partner had bragged about how this was so big he was going to get a raise and probably a coin minted with his face on it. It had obviously been hyperbole, but still it did convey how important the case was. Booth's name hadn't been mentioned by the Colonel and Booth hadn't called her to talk to her about it.

Soon she was standing in Booth's office waiting for Booth to return from wherever he was. While she waited, she studied the framed pictures on the wall. She was behind Booth's desk looking at the case that held his medals when her partner walked in.

"Bones, what's up?" Booth hadn't expected to see Brennan when he had come back from Fairburn's office and was wary why she was there.

Turning to face her partner, Brennan walked from behind his desk and faced him. "You lost the RICO case to the state police."

So, she knew. "Yeah, the Virginia Attorney General got 62 indictments. I let the State Police take the credit because they could do more with the case."

Not sure if Booth was telling her the entire story, Brennan reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "But you didn't get any of the credit. You put in a lot of man hours on that case."

Shrugging his shoulders. Booth stepped away, walked around his desk and sat down. "I just talked to Fairburn about this. We've been having a lot of trouble with outside agencies not wanting to work with us on major projects like this because they consider the FBI to be glory hogs. I gave the state police the credit to fix that problem. Fairburn agreed with me, but of course the next time he wants the FBI to get the credit it's due."

The whole thing sounded preposterous, but Brennan didn't want to accuse her partner of lying. "When Jared called you last evening and you went to check on him, what happened? You came back late and I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it." She wondered if the loss of credit for the RICO case had something to do with that. Nothing else made sense. Yesterday her mate was excited and expecting accolades and today he gave the case away. It was disturbing.

"Did Cam say something?" Booth wouldn't be surprised if Cam had put the clues together. She knew him and Jared a bit too well.

"I haven't spoken to Cam today." Brennan was determined to find out what was going on. "What happened to Jared last night?"

Leaning back against his chair. Booth used a few seconds to make a very important decision. "Jared was in an car accident last night. He was drunk and he hit a light pole. The State Police have been angry about the FBI investigating the explosion at their training site and Colonel Wolchuk used Jared's accident as a way to take the RICO case from me to make me pay for their embarrassment when the body was found in the meth lab . . . I had to give them the case or they were going to arrest Jared for DUI and his career would have been tanked in the Navy . . . I'm telling you this because I don't want there to be any secrets between us, Bones. I think we know what happens when that happens. I told Fairburn that I gave them the case for PR reasons, but I did it for Jared because he's my brother."

It was a lot to take in. Brennan sat down and thought about what Booth had told her. "Thank you for being honest with me." She was surprised that Booth was being this honest since he normally held back information that might cause people trouble. She was used to that and she accepted that Booth was honest most of the time, but his protective instincts sometimes kept her from knowing the whole truth. "I think you're right. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

Relieved that Brennan wasn't angry about his screwing up the RICO case, Booth leaned forward and rested his crossed arms on his desk. "I should have told you what was going on last night, but I guess I was embarrassed. I should have let Jared take responsibility for his actions, but old habits are hard to break . . . I used to protect him from my father and I kept doing it after we were taken in by Pops . . . After I rescued him last night, I tried to talk to him about his drinking when I dropped him off at his apartment, but he blew me off . . . I'm not going to protect him anymore. I could have lost my job by giving my RICO case away. I didn't but, I risked my career for his. It was stupid." His cheeks were hot from embarrassment. He hadn't meant to talk to Brennan about this, but he knew that honesty was important. Their relationship was new and he needed Brennan to trust him and to understand that he wouldn't betray her. He always tried to be honest with her, but he knew that in the past he had kept certain things from her to protect himself and to protect her. He needed to be more open with her.

"I see." And she did. Booth was an alpha-male who was always protecting his family and friends. It was who he was and that would not change. What had changed was his more openness. She appreciated the change and she would not take advantage of it. "I think that you're right. From now on, Jared must take care of his own mistakes. You've worked too hard to get where you are in the FBI to destroy your career because of him." Brennan glanced at her watch and stood up. "I have to go. I'm still waiting for some test results that Hodgins is working on. I will let you know what he finds later this afternoon." She walked toward the door, paused and looked back at Booth. "You tried to protect your brother and you accomplished that. I hope he understands what it cost you."

"He doesn't." Booth sighed. "My relationship with Jared is complicated Bones. I need to let him handle his own mistakes from now on, but it won't keep me from worrying about him."

She nodded her head and left. Brennan appreciated that Booth had been honest with her. She would also remember that Jared was untrustworthy and that she would never trust him. As far as she was concerned, Jared was an inferior version of Booth. Her mate's brother was a beta, no doubt about it.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Worried about what she had seen on television, Cam called Booth and asked him to drop by the Lab.

"Is it about the meth lab case or about my RICO case?" Booth was well aware that if Brennan had put two and two together then so would Cam.

"This is about the RICO case. I would like to talk to you in person." Cam felt that a personal conversation was needed. The phone placed some distance between them.

He had been expecting the phone call and it annoyed him that he had been right. For once, he would have liked something he had done to have gone under the radar, but he was surrounded by geniuses who understand him too well. "I've already talked to Bones about this Cam. It's done and I don't want to talk about it."

"So Jared did have something to do with this?" When she had seen the announcement of the conclusion of the RICO case and the State Police was getting most of the credit, Cam had immediately assumed that Jared had done something ridiculously stupid and Booth had charged to the rescue. It was the only thing that made sense. "It's obvious Booth. Jared is in town for less than a week and you lose your RICO case. Nothing would have forced you to give that up except him."

Booth loved Cam as a dear friend, but she knew him too well and her ability to read him like a book was so irritating. "Just let it go, Cam. I've already had to talk to the brass about this and they're giving it a pass. It was a mistake and I won't do it again . . . alright? Just let it go."

"Alright . . . I was just concerned about you Booth, as a friend." Cam didn't want to get the silent treatment like she did the last time she had got between Booth and his brother.

"I get it Cam, but it's done and I can't undo it. I won't tell you what happened, but I've already decided that it won't happen again. It's time for Jared to take care of his own problems. I won't risk losing my job or Bones again. I can't do that. Okay?"

Relieved, Cam decided that whatever happened must have caused Booth some trouble and he had finally got a wake up call about his brother. "Alright . . . Friends?"

"Friends, Cam."

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	43. Chapter 43

(Fire in the Ice)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

One of the things that changed when Brennan became romantically involved with Booth was her involvement in sports. She had never really been interested in sports, but Booth was physically active and one of the sports he loved to play was hockey. He belonged to a minor league team that consisted of FBI Agents and a few people from the Lab and they traveled around the area playing other minor league teams. His team was considered in the top of the league at the moment, but the team was in constant battle with three other teams to remain at or near the top.

As an enforcer on the team, Booth's job was to deter or respond to dirty play by the opposition. Brennan considered it similar to his job in law enforcement much to the amusement of Cam. Booth played a couple of nights a week during hockey season and though Brennan couldn't attend every game, she did try to attend the important games or at least the games that Booth considered important.

The latest game had been against the Fire Dawgs, a group of volunteer firemen. A player named Pete Carlson had played dirty for most of the game and the final straw for Booth was when Carlson deliberately hurt Wendell. Booth lost his temper, confronted Carlson and Booth hit him with his fists, knocking the man to the ground then demanded he get up and they'd finish it in the parking lot.

Worried about Booth hitting a man in the face and head barehanded while the man continued to wear his helmet, Brennan made her way to the locker room to check on both Booth and her intern, Wendell. Half-dressed men didn't faze Brennan, but it did bother Booth having Brennan in the locker room. "Bones wait outside, please."

"Your hand may be broken." She was anxious to examine his hand and didn't see why she couldn't be in the locker room. It wasn't as if she was interested in any of the other men there.

"Bones, I need you to wait for me outside. Thanks." Although he was grateful for Brennan's concern for him, he couldn't let her stay since his team mates were half dressed and in one or two cases completely undressed and headed to the shower. Once she was gone, his team mates laughed at Booth's discomfort and he took it with as much grace as he could muster. Once he was dressed, he walked out into the hallway carrying his sports bag while Wendell followed behind him.

Relieved that her mate was finally out of the locker room, Brennan strode over to where Booth was and demanded that she be allowed to examine his hand and wrist. "I need to examine it, Booth. I'm sure you've broken some bones."

Since his hand and wrist were throbbing, Booth knew that she was right and let her examine it. Wendell stood by his side and tsked at Booth. "It's broke alright."

"How do you know? You're seeing double." Booth watched Brennan move her fingers delicately over his hand and wrist trying to determine just how badly it was broken.

Before Wendell could respond, Brennan did. "It would seem that two of your metacarpals and one of your proximal phalanx are broken. It was unwise to hit the man without your gloves on."

"Yeah, the guy should have taken his helmet off, but he didn't." Booth removed his hand from her grasp. "I guess I better go to the hospital. Wendell needs to go with us. He might have a concussion."

Taking Wendell's sports bag from his hand, Brennan linked her arm around Wendell's arm. "Lead the way to your truck, Booth. I'll escort Wendell. I'll drive both of you to the hospital."

His hand throbbing, Booth nodded his head while Wendell allowed himself to be helped to the truck. "Damn that Carlson, he's a cheat and he's a sadist. I hate that guy."

"I'm not a fan either." Wendell discovered that the only way he could keep his balance was to walk with one eye shut. "He really rang my bell."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Of course, Booth considered it his bad luck that Pete Carlson was murdered and he was considered a suspect. "Caroline, I was with Bones after the game. We went to the hospital to see about my hand and Wendell's head. "

"Which means you have no reasonable alibi, Cher'." Caroline didn't believe Booth was guilty of anything, but an arena full of people had seen him beat up Pete Carlson and heard the threats he'd made. It was important that the FBI appear to show no bias in anyway, so Booth had to be considered a suspect until he was cleared and the real murderer was found. "Listen, I have Agent Perotta working the case. She's a damn fine agent as you well know. Just let her handle it and once the case is over and you've been proven to be innocent you can go back to work."

Annoyed, Booth pointed out that his partner would never work with Perotta. "She won't do it, I know her. She only works with me."

"She has a contract with the FBI." Caroline realized that trying to make Dr. Temperance Brennan do anything was futile, but she would try.

"Good luck with that." Booth knew his partner very well and Perotta was going to have nothing but trouble on her hands if she tried to get Brennan to work with her.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

"What do you mean you're a murder suspect?" Brennan found the whole thing to be ludicrous. "You were with me the evening of the game and your hand was broken. We went to the hospital."

Trying to placate his girlfriend, Booth held up his hands and tried to calm the situation. "We don't know when he died. It might not have been that night. Agent Perotta is going to run the investigation and I need you to work with her to help clear me."

Before she could reply, Agent Peyton Perotta entered the office to introduce herself. "Dr. Brennan, I'm Agent Perotta . . ."

Interrupting the agent, Brennan faced Perotta and shook her head. "I only work with Booth."

Perotta had been prepared by Ms. Julian and knew that to get the Lab behind her she would have to bend the rules a bit. "I welcome Booth to join the investigation as a consultant. I will be in charge of the investigation, but he can assist."

Mollified, Brennan nodded her head. "Good, then I will work with you on the case."

"There you go, problem solved." Not sure why Perotta was allowing him on the case, Booth decided not to question it. He needed Brennan to help find the killer and absolve him.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Once Booth figured out the connection between the players on the Fire Dawgs and their high school hockey team it didn't take him long to realize that one of the team players had killed Pete Carlson. Ed Fralic had killed Pete because of an old grudge. Pete had ruined Ed's chances to get into the NHL and Ed had found out that Pete had stolen jewelry from homes destroyed in fires. Pete called him a coward and he told Ed that he didn't do anything back in the day when he'd wrecked Ed's life and he wouldn't do anything to him about the jewelry. Ed had snapped and killed Pete. Case closed.

Booth had sustained a concussion during the case while his hockey team played against some State Police and he had been ordered by his doctor not to sleep for a few hours. Since he wasn't sleepy anyway, Booth decided to teach Brennan how to ice skate. "Come on, I have to stay up and you don't like to sleep alone. Skate with me."

Wary of the idea, Brennan had put on the skates that Booth had bought for her, but she was afraid that she would fall and take Booth down with her injuring him again. "If you fall you could make matters worse. Your hand is not completely healed even if you did remove the cast and you have a head injury."

"I'm not going to fall, Bones." Brennan was confident in his ability when it came to ice skates. "I won't let you fall either or at least not much."

"Oh thanks." Brennan took her mate's hand and stepped out on to the ice. Her ankles felt wobbly and she wasn't sure she could let go of Booth's hand. "I have natural athletic ability, but I'm not certain that extends to ice skating."

Pulling her further onto the ice, Booth tried to not make any sudden movements or short turns. He loved ice skating and to have Brennan out on the ice with him seemed like a bonus to him. She slipped and fell almost taking him with her, but he managed to stay on his skates and lifted her back up on the ice. "Hey, careful there. You're alright . . . Just slow and easy, Bones."

"I didn't mind working with Agent Perotta, but you're the Agent I work with Booth. I won't work with other Agents." She had found Agent Perotta to be competent, but Booth was clearly the better agent since he had been the one to determine that it was Ed Fralic that had killed Pete Carlson. "It was ludicrous that anyone had considered you a murder suspect."

"Well, I think the FBI was just being careful that's all." Booth had known the minute he'd seen Pete Carlson's body that he would be a suspect. There was no way to get around that. He had just hoped that the killer was caught before his career was ruined. "They wouldn't take your word that I was with you when Carlson was killed because we're in a relationship. I mean you're honest and everyone knows that, but the FBI has to be above reproach. They had to investigate everyone no matter who they are."

Brennan held onto Booth's hand as he led them both into a large slow circle around the rink. "That's true. Deputy Director Kirby was a murderer and involved with bank robbers. I'm sure it was quite a shock to the Director of the FBI to find out his Deputy was corrupt and a murderer. "

"Um . . . yeah." The fact that someone that high up in the chain of command in the FBI could be that evil just made it harder for anyone to overlook his threats against Pete Carlson. "That's true . . . We caught the killer, so our partnership is safe and Perotta can go back to working with her partner and not us." They finished the loop and Booth tucked Brennan's arm under his arm. "You're doing good, Bones."

Pleased that she hadn't fallen again, Brennan laughed. "This is actually fun. I didn't think it would be, but it is." She knew that it was fun because she was doing it with Booth. He made her feel safe and it was easier to trust him. "Of course, I don't want to join a hockey team."

"No, I get that." He kept the pace slow and steady. "I love hockey. It lets me work off some of my energy and I like protecting my guys. There are players out there like Pete Carlson that like to inflict pain for the hell of it. I have to watch out for those guys for my team . . . Wendell is a good player and I'm glad he's back on the team . . . He didn't let Carlson ruin his love of hockey."

As they moved into a slow wide loop again, Brennan felt a little chilly. "You know, I can think of a better way to keep you awake and we would be warmer, a lot warmer."

Almost stumbling, Booth's mind went to where he thought Brennan was and slowly stopped them skating. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean. Do you want to go home and make love?" That sounded like a great idea and no concussion would stop him if that was what she wanted.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean." Brennan started to skate towards the exit pulling Booth behind her. "I am actually quite good at that and it does show off my athletic ability."

"Oh yeah." They reached the exit and Booth continued to hold Brennan's hand while she left the ice. "You definitely have a lot of athletic ability. Let's go and you can show off to me."

Chuckling, Brennan sat down and started to remove her skates. "Of course, you will have to show off for me too."

Ooooooooooooooooo

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	44. Chapter 44

(The Hero in the Hold)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

He woke up in a cramped space. There was a green glow from something electronic that kept him from being totally in the dark, but that didn't tell him where he was and why he was there. He pushed against what looked like an overhead panel, but it didn't budge. He felt around the edges and found screws that were too tight for him to budge with his fingers. Slipping his hand in his pants pocket, he found his pocket knife. Luckily it had a bottle opener that could also be used as a hex wrench. Calmly, he used the instrument and slowly broke the nuts and once they were removed, he lifted the hatch above him. Slowly, he pulled his body through the hatch and once he was out, he looked around and dropped a few feet to the floor below.

"What the fuck? A submarine? Where the hell am I?" He looked up and saw a steel walkway above him, but out of reach. Feeling dizzy, he placed his hand on his forehead and leaned on the yellow submarine while he waited for the dizziness to pass. While he waited, he heard a noise in one of the dark corners of the room and called out. "Who's there? Who's that?" To his shock, a man from his past stepped into the weak light and grinned at him.

"It's me, the best buddy you ever had. Your words."

"Teddy . . . this isn't real." Booth knew for a fact that Teddy Parker was dead. He had been dead for a long time. He had carried his body for miles back to the helicopter after their mission had taken a bad turn. There was no way Teddy was standing before him. No way.

"I'm going with real."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The message from the Gravedigger was simple. _I have taken Seeley Booth. He has been buried alive. He has 21 hours to live. Bring the evidence to the South west 5 D.C. boundary stone in return for which you will receive GPS coordinates. If you involve law enforcement, I will know and Seeley Booth will die. This is my final communication._

The Gravedigger had Booth and Brennan didn't have the evidence that the Gravedigger wanted, but she thought she knew who did.

"The Gravedigger has Booth. He wants the evidence you took from the FBI." Brennan was worried that Hodgins would deny he had it, but who else would have access to it? She didn't have it and that might have pointed towards former FBI Agent Vega, but he didn't have access to the Hoover, so that left Hodgins. "Give it to me."

After pleading with her to give him time, Brennan gave Hodgins 8 hours to hand over the evidence giving the Gravedigger 11 hours to free Booth. She didn't trust Hodgins and had someone watch him as he worked on the evidence trying to glean as much information from the piece of plastic that had originally been buried in Hodgins leg when he had been hit by the Gravedigger's car and buried alive. Once those eight hours were up, she would take the evidence to where the Gravedigger wanted it delivered. Booth's life was more important to her than the piece of evidence. She had to get Booth back. She couldn't allow him to die, buried alive and alone.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan hadn't counted on the Gravedigger trying to kill her and Hodgins when they gave up the piece of evidence. It was logical and made sense for the Gravedigger to get rid of the people most likely to capture him, but that meant that he had never meant to give the location of where Booth was buried. The serial killer's goal had been to kill her, Hodgins and Booth. Now they had to look for Booth on their own and they didn't know where to look.

Angela analyzed the phone message from the Gravedigger hoping to get some kind of clue from it. After she zoomed in on the background noise, she figured out that the call had been made near water. There were seagulls and a merry-go-round and that made her believe it was King's Beach boardwalk.

Former FBI Agent Vega lived near the boardwalk and that made it appear that he could be the Gravedigger. He had written a book on the Gravedigger and at one time Booth has suspected the man of being the serial killer. Filled with hope that they were on the right path, Brennan and Hodgins had gone to where Vega lived and found the writer dead in his car. Agent Perotta who had been following Brennan wasn't happy to see them with a body, but it was obvious that they had not killed the writer and let them go.

Ultimately, Brennan talked Jared into stealing Vega's body from the FBI and have it delivered to the Lab so she could examine it. Everyone was desperately looking for Booth and it was obvious that Vega had been killed by the Gravedigger. The serial killer was trying to clean up. He wanted to get rid of as many people that could come after him as he could. Booth, Vega, Brennan, Hodgins and who knew who else.

Jared masked the theft of the body as a military intelligence operation, but he didn't know how long the Lab would be able to keep the body. He was also aware that he was going to lose his job and his career in the Navy, but at this point he didn't care. His brother was going to die if they didn't find him soon and he was willing to risk his career to save him. Seeley had always been there for him when he needed him and he couldn't turn his back on his brother when it was a matter of life and death. If his brother died and he did nothing to help find him, then he wouldn't be able to face their grandfather and he wasn't sure he could live with himself either.

Ultimately it was the clues they found on Vega's body that led them to the serial killer and to where Booth was being kept. The United States Attorney Heather Taffet had appeared at the Lab with Federal Agents in tow to take the body of Vega back from the Lab. Brennan and Cam had determined that Vega had fought for his life and that he had hurt the Gravedigger before he was killed. Observing the way Taffet had held her arm to her side, Brennan realized that Taffet was the Gravedigger and that she knew where Booth was.

Of course, Heather Taffet wasn't about to admit to anything, but Jared used his security clearance to check into Taffet's background and that led to her very short marriage and a locker she had rented under her married name. One clue led to another and they determined that Booth was on a ship that was about to be sunk and turned into a natural reef. Jared arranged for a helicopter to take Brennan out to the ship knowing his career was finished.

While Booth was being rescued, Jared was arrested and taken into custody. When confronted about his actions he smiled and shook his head. His brother was safe and what they did to him wasn't that important to him. He had hoped to be an admiral someday, to be part of that rarefied rank that would allow him to make changes, but that goal was destroyed and he would have to find something else to do.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Booth was standing on the top deck of the ship staring at the spot on the deck where Teddy had sat just a few minutes before the helicopter showed up. Confused, Booth wasn't sure what to do. His friend had disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. With Brennan screaming his name, he turned and stumbled towards the helicopter. A sense of urgency in Brennan's voice forced him to run and throw himself into the helicopter and in the arms of the woman he loved. She had found him and as the helicopter pulled away from the ship, explosions were seen emanating from the ports and the ship began its destructive path to the ocean floor.

Holding his arms tightly around Brennan's body, Booth felt relief that he wasn't joining Teddy's ghost in the ship's remains. "You found me . . . I knew if I could get to the top you'd be there." His faith in Brennan had never faltered. He had known that he had to do his part to get topside so she could find him, but he had known that she would find a way to get to him in time and she did.

Trembling, Brennan held Booth against her body and wept with tears of relief. She had known that time was their enemy, but the helicopter pilot was willing to give Booth that extra minute to come to them and she would always be grateful to him. "I couldn't give up, Booth. I couldn't let you die alone."

They held each other and tried to comfort each other until they reached ground. The pilot landed back at his base and he let his CO know that the rescue mission had been a success. He had almost denied Dr. Brennan's request to land on the ship, but he knew he was a damn good pilot and he knew that he could leave the ship with just two minutes to spare and they would be safe. Their safe arrival proved that he had been correct.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep. As Booth lay on their bed, he held Brennan's hand and smiled at her. "I don't know how you did it but thank you."

Booth had been checked out at the hospital and he had a few problems, but nothing that time wouldn't take care of. He was dehydrated, had a mild case of hypothermia, he had been tasered, chloroformed, had numerous cuts and bruises and a mild concussion. All in all he wasn't in bad shape for someone who had been through what he had been through. He was alive and that was all that he and Brennan cared about. "I woke up in a small submarine in the hold of the ship. I got out, but I couldn't get up to the next level. I opened a hatch, but it let sea water in . . . it was a dumb thing to do, but the rising water got me up to the next level and once I was there, I could get to the next level using a ladder in the hallway. I found a bunch of explosives on the ship and a transponder. I was hoping that if I disabled the transponder that would stop the signal, but I broke the damn thing."

"That explains why the Navy couldn't send a signal to the transponder to stop the explosions." She had not expected that to be the reason for the transponder's failure, but when you added Booth into the mix, she knew he would do everything he could to try to survive. "Jared arranged to have a helicopter take me out to the ship. I had a limited amount of time to rescue you and I was told that if you weren't topside the helicopter would leave. I was so happy to see you just before we landed."

"Yeah . . . I had help." Booth wasn't sure if he should say anything about Teddy, but the ghost did help save him and he deserved some credit. "A buddy of mine . . . He died a few years ago, but . . . when I needed help, he appeared on the ship and he . . ." He could see the look of disbelief on her face, but what had happened was real. "Teddy's ghost got a pipe on the floor of the flooded room and he helped me open the hatch on the walkway with it . . . He picked a lock so I could get out a secure area. I didn't do those things, Teddy did them."

Skeptical, Brennan thought her boyfriend's mind had been affected by being tasered, being knocked out and having a concussion. "Once you're dead, you're dead. You can't come back and help anyone."

"Teddy did." Booth refused to believe that Teddy hadn't been on the ship. "I know what I saw. He wants me to talk to his girlfriend Claire tomorrow at Arlington Cemetery. She goes to the cemetery on the anniversary of his death. He wants me to tell her that he loved her."

She could see that Booth believed what he was saying and nothing she said would dissuade him from his belief. "If you wish to go to the cemetery tomorrow, we can do that." So relieved that he was home, Brennan leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "You need to rest. I turned the heater on and this room should be warm enough for you." She adjusted the blanket around his shoulders and kissed him once more. "The Gravedigger can't hurt anyone anymore. She's in jail and Caroline is certain that Taffet will get the death penalty when she is tried."

"I'm still surprised it was Taffet." Booth was having trouble remembering how he had ended up on the ship in the little submarine. "I mean she's a small woman and I'm a big guy. How did she move me from my apartment to the ship? I don't see how she could have done that by herself."

And that concerned Brennan too. "She claims that she's not the Gravedigger and that she'll be freed once her trial is over . . . If she did have an accomplice, she isn't going to admit it. We can check into her background and see if anything points to an accomplice, but we haven't seen proof in the past that she had a partner in crime, so unless she confesses, we may never know."

Exhausted, Booth closed his eyes. "We'll worry about that later . . . I didn't think I'd ever see you again, Bones. I mean I hoped I would and I fought like hell to escape from that ship, but . . . I just thought I might never see you again, but I wanted you to know that I tried to survive and come back to you . . . I couldn't give up for you and Parker . . . never give up." He stopped talking and in a few short moments he was asleep.

"I knew that you wouldn't give up, Booth. I counted on that." Brennan moved around the bed, removed her shoes and lay on the bed next to her mate. She wanted to be nearby just in case he woke up confused or needed something. "I counted on you to help me help you."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	45. Chapter 45

(The Princess and the Pear)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

He'd had his son Parker for the weekend and Booth had tried to show the child a good time by going to the park. They had thrown a football around and played on the gym equipment. What did Booth's back in was sliding down the slide with Parker sitting on his lap. He had landed on his back at the bottom of the slide and felt something pop when he got up with his son cradled in his arms.

He'd had a few problems over the years with his back, but he used strength training to help with the problem. While in the Rangers he had jumped from planes and helicopters. A few bad landings due to bad weather had caused him to injure his back and he'd been paying for that ever since.

Walking stiffly into the house, Booth encouraged Parker to go to the bathroom and wash his hands before he gave him a snack. While the boy was busy cleaning his hands, Booth checked his bathroom for some Advil and popped down four pills. Moving stiffly back down the hallway, he ran into Brennan who was leaving the kitchen. "Hey, we're back. Parker is cleaning up before I give him his snack."

"Why are you walking like that?" Brennan had noticed the stiff posture and odd gait. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"What? No . . . well not really." Booth walked past her into the kitchen. After he placed some homemade oatmeal cookies onto a plate, he carried it over to the kitchen table and then retrieved the milk from the fridge and poured two glasses. "Do you want to join us for a snack?"

Concerned for her partner, Brennan reentered the kitchen and observed how Booth was moving around the room. "You've hurt your back, haven't you?"

"Um, maybe." Booth sat down and waited for Parker to appear. "I slid down the slide with Parker and I landed on my back,"

"You need to see a doctor, Booth. This is the second time you've hurt your back. It's possible you have a serious problem."

Parker charged into the room and ran over to the table. "Oh boy, cookies." The boy slid the chair back and moved onto the chair. "Mom doesn't let me have cookies for snacks."

A smirk on Brennan's lips, she walked over to the counter, picked up an apple, walked over to the table and sat down. "You can have part of my apple if you want it."

"No, I'm good." The boy bit into his cookie and groaned with pleasure. "This is good, Dad."

"Bones made them for us." Moving the glass of milk closer to the boy, Booth smiled. "Eating a cookie once in a while won't hurt you. You just can't live on cookies that's all."

Her apple crunchy and juicy, Brennan relished the taste of the apple as she chewed on it. She liked the occasional cookie, but she thought that her partner ate too many refined sugar products. "I made those cookies with applesauce instead of sugar."

Surprised, Booth took a big bite of the cookie, chewed it and swallowed. "It's tastes pretty good to me. I can make changes like this one in my diet . . . just no tofu in my cookies please."

Snorting, Parker shook his head. "Tofu in cookies? Yech."

That sounded like a challenge to Brennan and she decided someday to try to make cookies using tofu. She was curious if she could make them taste delicious and pass the Booth taste test. It would be very amusing if he actually liked them.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

His back hurt worse the next morning. Flexing his feet and toes as he sat on the edge of the bed, he felt his back protesting as he moved. Determined to tough it out, he stood up, groaned a little as he opened the dresser drawer to remove a clean shirt.

Listening to Booth as he placed the shirt on, Brennan decided that he needed her help. "It's no wonder you're in pain, Booth. You were kidnapped and placed in the hold of a ship. You were were forced to tread water for quite a while until you arrived at the catwalk then you had to climb gangways and at one point you used explosives to open a hatch throwing you on your back. That was a week ago and now you've slid down a slide and landed on your back. Your back can only take so much abuse, Booth. You really need to see a doctor."

Afraid what a doctor might want to do to him, Booth turned to face his partner. "Why don't you use your magic fingers thing to fix my back? You did it before."

The abuse Booth's body had gone through lately made her want to decline. "You need to see a specialist. Someone trained in spinal disorders."

"What? No way." Booth tried to give her his best charm smile. "Come on, you love me. Fix me. Please?"

Annoyed with herself, Brennan allowed Booth to influence her. "Alright, turn around." After she placed arms around his arms and her hands on his neck. She rotated their bodies in unison until Booth suddenly yelled out.

"Oh God!" He felt his back catch and he was afraid to move. "Maybe you should take me to the hospital."

Horrified that she had hurt her mate, Brennan guided him to the bed and once he was seated helped him get his pants and shoes on. "I told you you should see a specialist." She felt guilty about what she had done and now she was worried she'd actually damaged him. Once he was dressed, she helped him to the living room and went to check on Parker. The boy's mother should be on the way to pick him up and she needed to make sure Parker was ready to leave.

Once Rebecca had picked up her son, Brennan drove Booth to his family physician who took some x-rays, tsked over what he had seen and wrote some prescriptions for some pain relievers.

Unable to go to work, Booth was forced to stay home, but insisted that Brennan go to work. "I'll be alright. Just go. I'll probably watch TV all day." He had already taken one of the pain pills and was feeling a little light headed.

Uncertain what she should do, she finally agreed to go to work, but as a safety precaution, she called her father and asked him to come over and stay for the day. Booth protested, but she ignored him and by the time Max showed up, Booth was lying on the floor with his head propped up on a pillow watching cartoons.

"You need anything?" Max hoped he wouldn't have to help Booth get off the floor because he wasn't sure he was up to the task.

"Yeah, a new back." After he thought about his answer he giggled. "Not a used one either, a brand new one." That was funny and caused Booth to laugh. "Of course, it has to be the right size."

Rolling his eyes, Max spied the bottle of pills Booth was taking and looked at them. "Shit this is some potent stuff."

"You can't have any Max. Those belong to me." Booth used his remote to turn the channel. "Is it normal for me not to feel my feet? Just asking . . . for a friend." And he laughed again.

Concerned, Max pocketed the pill bottle and sat own on the couch to keep an eye on his daughter's boyfriend. "You can only take one of these every six hours. Believe me, you're going to wait those six hours too."

Not worried, Booth waved his hand, "Just don't lose them . . . I'm feeling pretty good right now."

Ooooooooooooooo

The fact that Brennan had to work with Agent Perotta once more didn't please Brennan at all. She would have refused to work any cases while Booth was recovering, but Cam had asked her to reconsider. "We don't know how long Booth will be out. I'd rather just do a couple of cases with Agent Perotta and not fall behind. You know that the longer it takes to find the killer the more chances there are that he or she will flee jurisdiction or the chance that evidence will be corrupted or lost."

"I see your point." Brennan agreed to worth with Perotta, but only because she considered the agent competent. "We will work this case, but Booth is still my partner."

"Of course he is." Cam just hopped Booth wasn't crippled. There was no way she would have allowed anyone to crack her back. Shuddering, Cam exhaled deeply. "Now, I have an autopsy to perform. I assume you would like to assist."

"Yes, I would."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

While Brennan worked with Perotta, Booth had to deal with painful back spasms, a babysitter he didn't really want and the strange effect the pain pills were having on him. From time to time, he called Brennan to see if she needed his help and to see if she missed him. He hated to miss a case, but he couldn't really be much help if walking or sitting or standing hurt his back. "Max, I want cookies for lunch. They're okay. Bones made them so they don't have any sugar in them so they're healthy."

Feeling like a parent dealing with a toddler, Max sighed. "No, you can't eat cookies for lunch. What's the matter with you? You need something solid in your stomach because of those goof pills you're taking. Cookies are not healthy."

Disappointed, Booth managed to get to this feet and glare at his minder. "Fine, I'm going to the bathroom before I have lunch."

"Great, I'll alert the media." Max walked into the kitchen, opened up the freezer, found some ground meat and decided to make some Sloppy Joe sandwiches. Spying the cookies on a plate covered with plastic wrap. Max grabbed a cookie and bit into it. "Not bad but definitely not for lunch."

Once he was back in the kitchen, Booth sat down at the table, propped his elbow on the table and placed his face on his hand. "I'm still pissed with you and that lawyer of yours. Your court strategy could have got Bones sent to prison for the murder you committed."

"Don't be. If they had tried Tempe for murder I would have confessed." While the lunch meat was thawing and browning in a skillet, Max removed ketchup, onions and tomatoes from the fridge. "Of course, I can't be tried for the same murder twice, so I'm afraid we would have still ended up where we are now. Me and Tempe not guilty of murder."

Thinking about it for a moment, Booth exhaled deeply. "You make my head hurt." He liked Max, but the man was too devious for anyone's good.

Amused, Max laughed. "I'm sure. You don't evade the FBI and a murderous gang for fifteen years counting on sheer luck."

"I guess not." Booth was hungry and his stomach was starting to growl. "I need a beer."

"No way." Max turned to look at the younger man. "You're taking powerful pain pills."

"Oh yeah." Booth was disgusted with his situation. "I hate being sick. I hate being home. I hate you babysitting me and I hate that my partner is working with someone else."

Max chopped up the tomatoes and threw them and some ketchup in the skillet with the now fried meat. "When do you have to go back to the doctor?"

"Next week, I think." Booth shifted on his chair. "I need to go back to work. I hate being at home and I hate being sick."

"Yeah, I know, you said that." Max stirred in the chopped onions and a little water and watched his meat mixture start to bubble. "Maybe you can have a cookie for dessert."

Booth liked the sound of that. "Good. You know they don't have sugar in them so they're good for me."

"Yeah, you told me."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The case solved, Brennan dropped by Booth's physician's office to get a copy of her mate's x-rays. Once she looked at them, she hurried home and found Booth lying on the couch watching television while her father dozed in a nearby chair. "Booth, I looked at your x-rays and your doctor misdiagnosed your problem. I can show you on the x-rays if you wish me to."

Awake, Max watched Booth slowly move from the couch and stand up. The agent held the x-rays up and looked at them, but it was obvious that he had no idea what he was supposed to look at.

"Okay, Bones, what's wrong with me?"

"You just have a minor misalignment." Brennan took the x-rays from his hand and placed them on the coffee table. "I can fix it for you."

Booth felt a chill run down his spine. "The last time you did that I almost ended up in a wheelchair."

Her feelings hurt, Brennan stared at her mate and sighed. "Don't you trust me?"

"Oh God, don't make this about trust." He knew that as soon as she had said that he had to let her do it even though he was afraid. "Alright . . . I guess you can do it." He swallowed and turned his back towards his partner. "Just be careful, Bones. This is the only back I have."

Confident that she could fix him, Brennan preformed the same body twist as the last time and everyone in the room heard a pop.

"Oh . . . Oh." The pop sound had scared him and Booth was afraid to move. "Um, I'm . . . um, am I alright?"

"You should be." Brennan pushed Booth lightly on the back forcing him to step forward.

Once Booth moved, he realized that his back wasn't hurting anymore. "Hey you fixed me." Turning carefully, still afraid that his back was going to betray him, Booth faced Brennan. "Bones, I love you, but you can't do that twisty thing anymore."

"I agree." Brennan had already made a vow to herself to never do that again. "But you need to learn to be more careful. You can't slide down a slide again. That is gym equipment for children."

Impressed that Booth seemed to be alright, Max stood up and clapped his hands. "Well, folks, this has been fun, but I'm going home."

Once Max was gone, Booth looked at Brennan. "He didn't think your cookies were healthy."

"What? I made them without sugar."

Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me. I'm just telling you what he said."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	46. Chapter 46

(Mayhem on a Cross)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Dr. Gordon Wyatt was back in the District because of his sister's impending surgery. While he was there, he dropped in on Dr. Lance Sweets to see how he was getting along with his book about Booth and Brennan. He had expected a copy to be sent to him, but a manuscript never appeared and he was wondering why.

"Gordon Wyatt, hey it's good to see you." Lance had not expected to see the psychiatrist since the man was still assigned to Europe. They had exchanged letters for a while, but that had stopped once Sweets had given up on the book he was writing about Booth and Brennan. "What brings you back here? Are you being reassigned back to Washington D.C.?"

"No, I'm not. My sister is having some plumbing work done, hysterectomy to be exact and I thought I'd drop by and see how you are doing." Gordon sat down on the couch facing the younger man's desk. "You stopped writing to me about a year ago and I was wondering why? Did I say something in one of my letters that you considered egregious?"

Surprised that Gordon thought he would be so petty, Sweets shook his head. "No, no it's just that I'm not writing my book anymore. There's no point."

"Well, now that is very intriguing. Why aren't you writing your book anymore?" Gordon had thought the young psychologist was rather obsessed with Booth and Brennan and his book was a manifestation of that obsession.

A small snort escaped from Sweets. "You don't know do you? Booth and Brennan are living together. They have been for about a year. I don't know exactly when they got together, but it was sometime after he was shot by a stalker. They kept their relationship a secret for a while. They probably thought it would be a good idea to make sure their new relationship was going to work first. Anyway, my book was about the dynamics of opposite personality types working towards a common cause. I mean, I believed that they both had sublimated their attraction to each other out of fear of endangering their working relationship because their working relationship was paramount to both of them but obviously that wasn't true. Booth got hurt and he almost died and they got together afterward. They didn't care if their working relationship was endangered or not."

"I see." Wyatt leaned back against his chair and pursed his lips for a few moments. "That is a shame. How far did you get before you stopped writing?"

"I was done. I had just started editing it. My plan was to send you a copy of my manuscript right after that." Sweets sighed. "I was so sure I knew how those two ticked, but I didn't understand them at all."

Since Gordon had considered Sweets' premise to be false, he wasn't surprised that Booth and Brennan were together now. He wasn't surprised at all. "Perhaps you could do something else with your book . . . maybe turn it into a novel. It seems a shame to have written a book you can't publish."

"A novel?" Sweets leaned forward on his chair and stared at the older man. "I could see that. I did think that those two were in love with each other but they refused to admit it. Let me think it about it. Maybe I can write a love story using them as a model."

Amused, Gordon smiled. "That's the spirit. If someone knocks you off of your feet, get back up, dust yourself off and try again."

"Yeah, that's good advice, thanks." Sweets stood up. "I'm sorry I didn't write to you and tell you what was going on. I was very disappointed that my book had been turned into junk and I was too embarrassed to tell you."

Standing, Gordon walked over to where Sweets was standing and shook his hand. "Don't worry about it, I won't."

Once Gordon was gone, Sweets pulled his copy of his manuscript from a filing cabinet, sat down and flipped it open. "A novel? Maybe."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

"Gordon Gordon, good to see you. I thought you were in Europe." Booth was walking from the break room to his office when he spied Gordon Wyatt leaving the elevator. "Are you back for good?" Booth hoped so. He liked Sweets, but when it came to psychology, Booth considered Gordon Wyatt a genius.

"No, I'm here because of my sister. She's going to be operated on at the end of the week." Gordon shook the Agent's hand and followed him to his office. "I've been to see Dr. Sweets and he brought me up-to-date about what's going on around here."

"I'll bet." Booth was sure he knew what Sweets had been talking about. "He probably told you that me and Bones are together? Well, we are and we're happy." He didn't want Gordon to start probing his relationship. "We don't need any probing or poking, okay? Bones and me are fine."

Amused, Gordon sat down on the chair near the door and crossed his legs. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it . . . I heard that you and Dr. Brennan got together after you were shot. I hope you weren't in danger."

"Nope, not at all." There was no way he was going to talk about Pam Noonan shooting him and he certainly wasn't going to talk about his undercover assignment and that Sweets had neglected to tell Brennan that he was alive. No way. He'd lived through it and that was enough. "I got caught in some crossfire. I was out of action for a few days, but it's all good. I'm fine."

It was clear that Booth didn't want to talk about that moment in time. "But you and Dr. Brennan got together after you were shot?"

"Yeah, we decided life was too short and why not give a relationship a try?" Booth still couldn't believe that his life had taken such a big turn. He had loved Brennan for a long time, but to have her return his affections had been a welcome surprise. "We're still work partners and we're still closing cases . . . it's all good."

"I see. Well that's wonderful isn't it?" Gordon was pleased for his young friend. It hadn't taken him very long after first meeting them to see that both Booth and Brennan valued their friendship and if they lost it, they would be devastated. He had also picked up on the fact that the partners were attracted to each other and that Booth was in fact in love with Brennan. He had done what he could to try to discourage them from throwing their working partnership away since FBI rules said a personal relationship would have ended their partnership and to end their partnership would have been a blow to the FBI and to the partners. Clearly the FBI had found a way to get around their rule. In hindsight, he wished he'd looked into that further. He might have found a way to match make and get them together sooner if he had known the FBI would be this casual about their rules. _Well, that's in the past. They found their own way._

Settled down behind his desk, Booth smiled at his friend. "It is wonderful. We're even thinking about buying a house together. Right now, we're trading off time between our apartments. It's not very convenient, so we're going to look for a place of our own, so we can live together." It had taken a lot of conversations and arguments before Brennan gave in and saw the logic of living together with him. She didn't want to give up her apartment in case their relationship failed, but Booth didn't want to think about failure. He had no intention of ever leaving Brennan for any reason and talk of failure just depressed him. They were happy and he didn't see a time when they wouldn't be together. "We hope to find something close enough to work and not cost a fortune, but Bones has been looking at real estate ads and we might have to move out further than we had originally planned on."

"Well, you two seem to be committed to making your relationship work. That is good news." Gordon was certain that this was one relationship that would never fail. Booth and Brennan were fast friends and that would aide them in the good and the bad times. "I'm glad for you, Booth. I'm glad I dropped in and had this chat with you."

"Thanks." Booth held up a paper and sighed. "I wish you could help me with this case. I've got a case involving a heavy-metal band. I don't know a lot about that kind of music."

Gordon was intrigued. "There's black metal, speed metal, grind core, thrash doom, drone, glam, sludge, metalcore, stoner metal, death metal and death core."

Surprised, Booth leaned forward on his desk. "Right, um, I thought you were a psychiatrist."

"I am, but I've dabbled in music in the past." Gordon fondly remembered his days in a band. He hadn't been as famous as The Rolling Stones, but he'd had a fairly large fan base for a while. "If you would like to pick my brain, feel free to do so while I'm here . . . Just so you know, I'm actually giving up psychiatry. I'm leaving it to the young Turks like Dr. Sweets."

Stunned, Booth stared at his friend open mouthed for a few moments. "But you're really good at what you do. Sweets is okay, but you really helped me when I needed it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Gordon gave the agent a sad smile. "I've been accepted by the Institute of Culinary Arts. I'm going to be a chef."

"A chef?" Stunned, Booth shook his head. "A chef?"

"That is correct. I'm going to put good things into people instead of taking out things that are bad."

Worried that Gordon was making a huge mistake, Booth tried to make him see that he was needed as he was. "I don't see why you can't do both. You can be a psychiatrist and a chef. You could set a trend."

Slowly shaking his head, Gordon tried to explain. "I wish to leave behind the sadness and to embrace something that makes me happy. Everyone should be happy with their work, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I do." Booth knew that Gordon had made up his mind and he couldn't make the man change his mind. "Good luck."

"Thank you. I appreciate that." Gordon stood up, walked closer to the desk, leaned over and shook the agent's hand. "It's been nice knowing you, Agent Booth. You're a very interesting fellow."

"Um, thanks." Booth stood up and walked the older man to the door. "When you open up a restaurant, I hope you let me know so me and Bones can try your food."

Pleased that Booth was willing to accept his new profession, Gordon paused at the door. "You can be sure I will invite you to my grand opening."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Brennan didn't seem to be affected by the news of Gordon's leaving the FBI as Booth had been. "He's going to be a chef."

She had heard him the first time. "Yes, I understand. He's pursuing something worthy of his intellect. It would have been better if he had studied neurochemistry for example, but it's better than wasting his time in psychiatry."

"Wasting his time?" He just didn't understand Brennan sometimes. "He's really good at that stuff. He helped me when I needed it. I could have lost my job when I shot the clown's head, but he saved my job and he helped me understand why I did that."

Aware that Booth wasn't taking Gordon's leaving the FBI with grace, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, but it is his decision, Booth. You should support him in his future endeavors. I'm sure he would support yours."

"Yeah, I guess." Booth stirred some sugar in to his coffee and placed the spoon down on the table. "I was kind of hoping he'd come back to the Hoover. We could have used Sweets as our profiler and I . . . we could have used Gordon Gordon for personal advice when we needed it. Sweets is okay, but he's not as good as Gordon is . . . I guess that's not going to happen . . . a chef, wow."

Sympathetic, Brennan patted Booth's hand. "Maybe he will be an excellent chef."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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	47. Chapter 47

(The Critic in the Cabernet)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Their case seemed to be moving forward clue by clue, but Booth found his day interrupted in a bizarre fashion. Checking on some tests sent to him by Hodgins, he was trying to get to the meat of the report when he heard a noise near the front of his office. Looking up, he spied Teddy standing in the doorway grinning at him. "God, why are you here?"

"Well, that's the first time anyone has ever called me God before so I'm not sure how to answer your question." A broad smile on his face, Teddy moved across the room and leaned on Booth's desk. "You do know I'm not God, right?"

Annoyed, Booth closed the file on his PC and glared at his young friend. "I know you're not God, Teddy. What the hell are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you were in the cemetery while I talked to your girlfriend. Why haven't you moved on or something? Isn't there a bright light you're supposed to walk toward?"

"Don't be so touchy, Sarge." Teddy sat down and stared at his friend. "I'm not done looking after you yet. I have to make sure you're alright before I leave."

Not sure what his friend was talking about, Booth leaned back against his chair. "What the hell are you talking about, Teddy? You can see I'm alright. I'm in my office working on a case. No one is trying to kill me. Okay?" Booth noticed one of his agents staring at him and glared at the man. Agent Boone took the hint and left the bullpen looking for something else to do.

"You're in danger, Sarge." Ted frowned at the agent and appeared to be debating whether or not he should say anything else. "Look, you've been seeing things like that hockey dude you like and well, you're talking to me. That's not normal you know. Something is wrong with you and I think you need to talk to someone about it. Maybe once you get straightened out, I'll walk towards a light, although I haven't seen one . . . I wonder if that's a bad thing."

Trying to be patient, Booth leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk. "I saw Luc Robitaille because I had a concussion. I was knocked out and I dreamed about him. I didn't really see him and as for you, well you're a ghost. You need to follow the light or whatever it is you're supposed to do to move on. You shouldn't stay here. You're dead."

"Yes, I'm dead and no normal person talks to dead people." Teddy stood up. "Something is wrong with you."

"Fuck off." His patience shot, Booth wave his hand towards the door.

Since he wasn't welcome, Teddy walked over to the door and disappeared as he entered the bullpen. Rubbing his eyes, Booth felt a headache coming on.

Oooooooooooooooo

In the interrogation room, Booth and Brennan were interviewing Charlie Dunmore when Booth saw Teddy Parker appear in the corner of the room, waving at him. Puzzled, Booth glared at the ghost and snarled. "I told you to fuck off."

Startled, Charlie Dunmore pointed at his chest. "Me? You had me arrested and brought here."

"Not you." Booth tuned his attention towards his suspect and began to interrogate him while Brennan stared at her partner with concern. After a few minutes, Teddy moved over to the table and stood next to the suspect.

"Look Sargent, I know you want me to go away, but I can't. I made a promise to look after you when I died since you carried me back to the helicopter and my parents could bury my body. That was a great thing to do . . . I should have done something when you were kidnapped by that hillbilly crime boss, but I wasn't sure what to do and your girlfriend found you and I didn't have to do anything . . . You need to listen to me. You're sick and you need to go to the hospital."

Losing patient, Booth slapped his hand on the table. "I told you to go away. There's nothing wrong with me."

Her concern growing, Brennan touched Booth's arm to get his attention. "Who are you talking to?"

Embarrassed, Booth pointed at his ghostly friend. "Teddy. I told you about him being on the ship, well he's back and he won't leave me alone."

A little afraid of Booth's explanation, Charlie Dunmore leaned back against his chair. "Hey, are you seeing stuff? Should you be talking to me?"

Pulling her mate by his arm, Brennan hustled him from the interrogation room and confronted him in the hallway. "Booth, you said you're seeing Teddy? Just now?"

"Yeah, he visited my office this morning and now he's in the interrogation room." Booth sat down on a nearby chair. "He says I'm sick."

"Booth, we need to go to the hospital, right now." She was terrified that something was drastically wrong with her partner. "You need to trust me, Booth. We have to go now."

The alarm on her face made Booth realize that maybe Teddy was right. "Okay, I guess we can do that." Before he left, Booth signaled to another agent in the hallway. "Charlie Dunmore is a suspect in the Spencer Holt murder case. Call Caroline Julian and let her know he's here." Once that was done, Booth felt it was alright to leave for the hospital. He just hoped that Teddy didn't follow him there.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Cerebellar Pilocytic Astrocytoma. Booth had a brain tumor and Brennan was terrified though she knew that she couldn't show fear to Booth or anyone else. The words brain tumor had clearly frightened her boyfriend and though he was trying not to show it, she could see he was nervous, sad and afraid. He had a right to be. Chances were the tumor wasn't malignant, but it was still dangerous. It had to be removed because unchecked it would continue to grow and start to damage his brain and eventually kill him. Like all surgeries, there was risk, but Booth didn't have a choice. He had to have the surgery and as quickly as possible.

He was willing to admit to himself that he was afraid. He'd been shot at, beaten, knifed, had a hot screw driver jabbed in his leg and he had never been afraid as much as he was now. Brain tumor sounded fatal to him and Booth wasn't ready to die. "Bones, if I don't make it, you remember that I loved you. You made me happy and I hope I made you happy. I don't want to leave you and I promised I wouldn't so don't be mad at me if things don't work out and I don't make it . . . Okay?"

"Booth, you're going to be fine." Brennan didn't want Booth to feel defeated before he entered surgery. He needed to fight and that meant he needed something to fight for. "You are not allowed to die, Booth. You made me a promise and you have to keep it. You can't leave me and that is all there is to it."

Sad that he couldn't guarantee anything, Booth nodded his head. "Yes, I have to keep my promise." The nurses and orderlies came into his room and prepared to take him to the operating room. Before they whisked him away, Booth motioned for Brennan to lean over him and he kissed her. "I have a will in my office. I made it out right after you rescued me from the ship. I'm leaving you everything. I have a savings account for Parker for college. I'd appreciate it if you make sure Rebecca gets the money."

A chill ran down her spine. "You can give Parker the money when he graduates from high school, Booth." She leaned over and kissed him once more. "I love you."

"I love you too, Bones. Don't forget that. I love you."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Nervous, afraid, maybe a bit terrified, Cam sat in the waiting room waiting to see how Booth's surgery went. She had known Booth since their college years and she had been his lover twice during those years. Their personal relationships had failed twice but their friendship had never wavered and now she was afraid she was about to lose a dear friend. She was well aware that his tumor could be benign, but it could be malignant too. She had done several autopsies over the years on cancer patients and had seen the effects of surgery on the brain and she knew all the things that could go wrong.

Sweets was nervous because he too knew what a brain tumor meant for his friend and he worried that it might alter Booth in such a way that the old Booth might disappear. It was a horrifying thought and one he didn't want to dwell on.

As calmly as he could be, Hodgins sat next to Angela in the waiting room with the rest of Booth's friends and he prayed for Booth's recovery. He was not a religious man, but he believed in God and he hoped for God's intervention. He prayed that Booth would survive this battle and that the warrior he was would defeat this terrible enemy.

Angela tried to be optimistic. She knew that Booth had a tumor, but she didn't really know what that meant. It sounded bad, but both Brennan and Cam had commented that there was a good chance it was benign. If both of her genius friends thought that Booth was going to be alright, then she would go with that. She glanced at the doorway and sighed. It was terrible that Brennan and Booth had only started a relationship recently and so much time had been wasted being single and alone, but they were a couple now and Booth was going to come out of this as good as new. After all, he had so much to live for. He had a woman that he loved who loved him back and he had a young son that adored him. _Yes, he's going to be fine. He's going to be more than fine._

The surgery complete, Brennan left the surgical suite and walked down the hallway to the waiting room. Dr. Michaels had allowed her to observe the surgery and now that it was done, she needed to talk to her friends before joining Booth in the recovery room. As she entered the waiting room, Brennan noticed her friends stand up and move towards her. Waiting just inside the doorway, she nodded her head and smiled. "It was benign and Dr. Michaels was able to remove all of the tumor. Booth is doing well and he's in recovery."

Faint from relief, Cam sat down and wept happy tears. Her friend was going to be alright. He was going to be fine.

Hodgins, Angela and Sweets patted each other on the back and hugged Brennan. A very bad day had turned out to be a very good day after all.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

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	48. Chapter 48

(The End in the Beginning)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

"He's still sleeping?' Angela was getting nervous. Should someone sleep this long after surgery? Why couldn't they just wake him up?

Looking up from her laptop, Brennan glanced at Booth then turned her attention towards Angela who was standing in the doorway. "He's not asleep, Angela. He's in a coma. Dr. Michaels thinks it's the anesthesia that they used."

Afraid for her friend, Angela stepped over to the bed and looked down at Booth. "Can't they just wake him up? Give him something that counteracts the anesthesia?"

"No, it doesn't work like that." Brennan stood up, placed the laptop on her chair and moved over to the bed where Booth lay. "I talked to Hank, Booth's grandfather and he told me that Booth has a history of being sensitive to anesthesia. I don't know why Booth didn't mention it before the surgery . . . well, perhaps I do. He was afraid he was going to die and he wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be angry with him if he did . . . I won't be angry with him. I couldn't do that. None of this his fault." She knew she was rambling, but she didn't know what to say to Angela to comfort her. Until Booth woke up, they wouldn't know if this was temporary or permanent. "The surgery was a success. The tumor wasn't malignant and . . . we have to wait for Booth to awake on his own, Angela."

"What happens if he doesn't wake up?" She dreaded to think about it, but someone had to do it. "He can't stay here in the hospital, can he?"

Rubbing her hand slowly up and down Booth's arm, Brennan shook her head. "If he doesn't wake soon, I will have him moved to a Nursing home. I will make sure it is reputable and that he will get excellent care. I am confident he will awaken soon since he always has in the past, but I will make sure he is well taken care of while we wait."

Not as confident as Brennan was, Angela leaned over and kissed Booth on the cheek. "He looks so young lying here. I know he isn't but . . . I hope he wakes up soon."

Staring at her lover, Brennan thought about the last few months and felt sick about her neglect. "After he was rescued from the ship, he told me that he'd seen a dead friend on the ship. He talked to him and he swore that Teddy helped him escape from the hold of the ship. He claimed Teddy was a ghost . . . I know that there is no such thing as a ghost, but I put it down to Booth being tasered, chloroformed, the shock of being kidnapped. I thought he'd hallucinated Teddy . . . I should have insisted that he see a neurologist. He had a brain tumor and I didn't recognize that there was anything wrong."

"Oh Honey, don't do that." Angela walked around the bed and hugged her friend. "Don't blame yourself for this. You said none of this was Booth's fault and that goes for you too. This is not your fault either."

"It feels like it's my fault." She felt tearful but managed to keep that emotion from coming to the forefront. Tears were not going to help Booth. She needed to take care of him and that meant that she had to be strong. She would be strong. "He will wake up, Angela. He has recovered from surgeries in the past and he will again."

Sad that she couldn't do anything to fix this, Angela released Brennan and stared at Booth once more. "He has a lot to live for, Sweetie. Of course, he's going to wake up. He has you waiting for him."

Ooooooooooooooo

He found it hard to let go of the dream, but she was asking him to wake up and he couldn't deny her anything. Her voice sounded far away and that worried him, but she was calling and he had to go to her.

Her fingers stroking his arm, Brennan spoke to Booth in a commanding way. "Booth, you need to wake up. You have been asleep for far too long and I need you to wake up." She had been talking to him on and off all day. She knew that if he didn't wake soon, she would have to move him from the hospital and she didn't want to do that. It would be as if she was accepting defeat and she would never give up on Booth. He was worth fighting for. He had always been worth fighting for.

Softly moaning, Booth was in pain and he wondered if it was worth waking up for. Opening his eyes, he found Brennan leaning over him, her blue eyes bright from unshed tears. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to tell her that he was fine, but his mouth was so dry and he was having trouble making any meaningful words come out. He felt stiff, his head hurt and he could see the worry on Brennan's face, but he was alive and that was more than he had hoped for. "Love." That came out as a croak and he felt that she might not have heard him. "Love . . . you."

Tears now streaking down her cheeks, Brennan leaned over and kissed her lover gently on his lips. He had heard her and he was awake and she knew that was a big hurdle he had overcome. "I love you too, Booth." She continued to stroke his arm trying to maintain contact with him. "Your operation was a success, but you reacted badly to the anesthesia. You've been in a coma for three days."

He could hear her talking to him, but he was having difficulty concentrating. The dream was still there and if he just shut his eyes, he could slip back into a world that gave him a lifestyle he'd never dreamed of or wanted and yet was compelling.

There were tears in his eyes and Brennan wasn't sure if it was because he was in pain or if he was sharing an emotional moment with her. "Don't close your eyes, Booth. Stay with me. I need you to stay with me."

She needed him to stay and so he stayed. The dream had been wonderful. He'd had so many friends and loyal employees and a wife that loved him, but it was a dream wasn't it? He was in a hospital room and his partner was leaning over him. She was real and he had promised her that he would never leave her. He had to stay to keep his promise. "I won't leave." He felt a tear fall down his cheek. He wasn't sure if he was crying because he had to leave his dream world or because if he stayed with Brennan, he would be living in a world that constantly tried to kick him down. A world that had never treated him well. But of course, he had to stay. He could never live in a world that didn't really exist. He wasn't that kind of man, was he? "I'm here."

Grabbing a glass of ice chips from the small table next to the bed, Brennan spooned a few chips in to Booth's mouth and watched him move the ice around the inside of his mouth. "I was worried that you wouldn't wake up." She moved a few more chips in his mouth and then used a wash cloth to wipe his chin and the sides of his mouth.

His mouth and throat less dry, Booth stared at Brennan and tried to smile. It was a sad smile, but a smile none the less. "I heard you calling me . . . I had to leave and come back."

"Leave?" She was confused or was he? "I don't know what that means."

"I was in a . . . a world that was . . . nice." He didn't know what to say about the place. He had been so happy in that dream, but he couldn't stay there. He had a young son that needed him, a partner that he loved and he had a promise to keep to her. He couldn't do that to them even though he had been so damn happy. "But it was a dream . . . I'm tired." He closed his eyes and returned to dream world confident that it was temporary and he would be back when he wasn't so tired.

Worried, she watched Booth close his eyes and go to sleep. Would he stay in that nice place or would he come back? She didn't know, only time would tell.

Ooooooooooooooooo

When he awoke again, he was more alert. The room was quiet and after clearing his throat he called out. "Bones."

"She's in the cafeteria eating breakfast, Booth." Cam placed her book down on the floor and stood up, moving over to where Booth lay. "She should be back in about twenty minutes . . . would you like some water. You may have a little to drink."

Nodding his head, Booth waited for Cam to press the straw from the cup between his lips. After a few swallows of water, he leaned his head back against the pillow. "Is Bones okay?"

"Yes, she's fine." Cam had had a hard time getting her to leave the room to go eat, but Cam had sworn that she wouldn't leave Booth out of her sight until Brennan had returned. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"A little." His head hurt, but not as badly as it had the first time he had opened his eyes. "Bones said the surgery was a success."

Her hand on his upper arm, Cam glanced at the readings on his monitor then turned her attention back to her friend. "Yes, it was. They removed the tumor and it wasn't malignant. You're going to be fine."

Relieved, Booth sighed. "Thank God." The thought of a brain tumor eating him alive was more than he could stand. "Where's Bones? I thought she would be here."

"She's in the cafeteria eating breakfast." She wasn't sure if she should be worried or not. It was possible he was having a little short-term memory problem because of the anesthesia. "She'll be back soon."

"Okay." Moving his hand up, he placed it lightly on the bandage covering his head. "Did they cut off all of my hair?" He hoped not. Being bald would not be a good look on him.

Amused, Cam smiled. "No, they only shaved off some of your hair around the area that was operated on. That hair should grow back rather quickly."

"Good." Booth lowered his hand and rested it on the bed. "Is Bones okay?"

"Yes, she is." Now she was starting to worry. As soon as she could, Cam was going to talk to Dr. Michaels. Booth's repeated questions were not normal. Not by a long shot. "Would you like to watch some television?"

Nodding his head, Booth turned his eyes towards the television. "Yes." He decided to let Cam choose the station since he couldn't remember if there was a game on or not. "I don't care what channel. Whatever you want to watch."

Oooooooooooo

He knew the minute she walked into the room. Opening his eyes, he turned to face the door and saw Brennan walk towards him. "Hey, Cam said you went to eat breakfast." His mind had been a little jumbled when he first woke up, but he seemed to be thinking clearer now. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Brennan placed her cup of coffee down on the table, leaned over and kissed her boyfriend. "Are you still in pain?"

"A little, it's more like a headache." Grabbing her proffered hand, Booth smiled at his partner. "I don't see Teddy in the room, so I must be okay now."

She knew he was joking, but she didn't feel like laughing. "You shouldn't be seeing dead people anymore, Booth. Teddy was just a manifestation of your illness . . . I'm sorry I didn't question that after you were rescued from the ship. I should have insisted that you see a neurologist, but I thought you were experiencing a hallucination from being tasered and chloroformed not to mention the concussion you suffered. That concussion was the second one you'd had in less than a month."

"No, Bones. You didn't do anything wrong." Booth noticed Cam stand up and move towards the door. "Thanks for visiting me Cam."

Pausing at the door, Cam turned and smiled at her friend. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to visit with you. You do what the doctors tell you to do."

"I will." Once Cam was out of the room, Booth turned his attention back to his partner. "Hey, I mean it Bones. How were you to know the concussions didn't make me a little crazy? I thought I was seeing a ghost . . . you got me to the doctor when I needed it. You saved my life and I for one am grateful. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She still felt she had handled the situation poorly, but she vowed to never make those mistakes again. "Dr. Michaels will be by this afternoon and he will tell us what comes next . . . You will probably have some tests done and he'll determine if you need therapy or not, but I think your recovery shouldn't be too bad."

He trusted Brennan and she seemed to be confident everything was going to be alright. That made him feel better than any drug they could offer him. "Okay . . . can I have a sip of your coffee?"

"No, you may not." Brennan leaned over and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. "I know you miss the caffeine but that is a stimulant and it might not be a good idea to mix that with the pain medication you're taking."

"Party pooper."

Oooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	49. Chapter 49

(After 'The End in the Beginning')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it. It's the only way I can tell if anyone is interested in it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

If an effort to make sure Booth was comfortable, when it came time for Booth to leave the hospital, Brennan brought him back to his apartment. She wanted him to be surrounded by his personal things. There had been some signs that her partner's memory was a little faulty, but she hoped it was temporary. There were a lot of risks involved with brain surgery and Brennan paid as much attention to Booth as she could. She felt like she had failed him by not recognizing there was a problem with Booth when he had told her about Teddy Parker after he had been rescued from the ship. She was determined to not let that happen again.

Feeling guilty about Brennan staying home from work with him, Booth tried to make her see that he didn't need a babysitter. "Come on, Bones. I'm just going to hang around my apartment and watch TV. Dr. Michaels won't let me work out or go running and he won't let me go to work. All I can do is watch TV and he said I can walk up and down the hallway for some exercise. There's no need for you to be here bored out of your mind. Just go to work."

She wanted to stay home with Booth and she did for a week, but after that week was over and Booth had shown no signs of having any physical distress, Brennan decided that he might be right about her going back to work. "I'll go back to work if I can get Max to stay with you during the day."

"Not again. I don't need anyone here, Bones." Booth didn't mind having Max around, but it made him feel foolish. "I'm not going to do anything dangerous. You can call on me and check on me if you want to. Let's just try it my way. If I need the help then I'll ask Max to stay with me."

His assurances didn't seem to make her feel any less anxious, but her work was piling up at the Lab and sitting home watching television was so unproductive. "I will call you every two hours and I will come home at lunch and make sure you have a nutritious meal."

"Deal." Relieved, Booth kissed her. "This is only going to be for three weeks. If I keep doing okay at the end of the three weeks, Dr. Michaels will let me go back to work . . . We'll get through this like we've done everything else. At least I'm not seeing Teddy anymore."

She knew he was trying to be funny, but she didn't feel like laughing at the moment. "While you are out, I will work in Bones Storage and work on identifying the remains stored there. I haven't worked in Bones Storage in a while. I plan to use it as a learning experience for my interns. I will assign them each a set of remains when it is their turn to be at the Lab and I will monitor their work while I work nearby. It will be an opportunity to verify what they have learned so far and to see what their strengths and weaknesses are."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

Oooooooooooooooo

The first few days were what Brennan expected. She called Booth every two hours while she was at work and she came home for lunch to cook Booth a nutritious meal. She wanted him to eat healthier while he recovered from his surgery and he had agreed to her plan. She suspected that he had agreed just to make sure she would go back to work, but the reason really didn't matter. If she could get him to cut down on processed foods and sugar then it would benefit him and that was what she wanted.

On the third day back at work, Brennan took a mid-morning break and tried to call Booth, but he didn't answer his phone. After leaving him a voice mail, she left Bones Storage and returned to her office. She needed to catch up on emails and correspondence and since Wendell seemed to be doing well examining the set of remains he had been assigned, she felt confident she could work on the more mundane parts of her job.

After twenty minutes had elapsed since she had called Booth, Brennan made another call and again he didn't answer his phone. "Booth, call me." This was the second message she had left and she was starting to worry. She tried not to let her imagination run wild, but it was hard to control her worse fears. When twenty minutes had passed by and there was still no call back, Brennan grabbed her purse and walked down to Cam's office. "I'm going home. I've tried to contact Booth three times in the last hour and he's not responding. I left some voice mail and he has not returned my call or texted me."

A little alarmed, Cam quickly agreed with Brennan's plan. "I'm sure he's alright, but it won't hurt to check on him."

Ooooooooooooooo

Entering Booth's apartment, Brennan heard voices and hurried down the short hallway into the living room. Spying Booth sitting on the recliner and Hank sitting on the couch, Brennan slowed her pace then stopped. "I didn't know you were planning on coming for a visit, Hank."

"Probably because I didn't tell you." Hank smiled at Brennan and waved his hand at his grandson. "When I heard that my boy was out of the hospital, I made arrangements for my neighbor to watch my house while I come and stay here for a little while. She had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon, so this was the earliest I could come."

Puzzled, Booth stood up and kissed Brennan. "Hey, why'd you come home so early. It's not lunch time yet."

"You didn't answer your phone. I was concerned."

Embarrassed, Booth glanced towards his bedroom and groaned. "I'm sorry Bones. I was taking a nap when Pops showed up and I didn't bring the phone with me when I left the room. I should have thought of it."

Relieved that nothing serious was going on, Brennan forgave her lover. "That's alright. I can stay for a while. I'll start lunch in an hour. Why don't you go get your phone and bring it into the living room?"

While Booth retrieved his phone, Hank leaned forward and apologized. "Sorry Temperance. That was my fault. I should have called before I came, but I was anxious to get here. I plan to stay for a few weeks and watch over Seeley while you're at work."

Overhearing his grandfather, Booth reentered the living room carrying his phone. "Pops, I told you that don't have to do that. I'm fine. Bones and I have a system worked out."

"Which doesn't work very well, if you don't keep your phone nearby." Brennan placed her purse on the coffee table and sat down. "Parker's bedroom is available if you wish to stay Hank, but you really don't need to do that."

"I want to do it." Hank knew that his grandson didn't want him there, but he considered it misplaced pride and he wasn't having any of that. "Look, me siting at home doing nothing doesn't make any sense. I can stay here until Seeley can go back to work. I can cook him lunch, so you don't have to come home for lunch unless you want to. Seeley probably doesn't need me here, but that operation shook me up and I'd feel better if I stayed and helped out, even if it's not necessary. Get it?"

Unwilling to deny his grandfather anything, Booth sat back down on the recliner and placed his phone on the coffee table. "I get it, Pops. Stay for as long as you want to. I'm going back to work in three weeks."

"Has Parker been told about your operation?" Hank hoped to see his great-grandson while he was there.

A little bitter, Booth shook his head. "No, Rebecca doesn't want to scare him. She's not going to let him come around until my bandage isn't needed and the doctor has given me a clean bill of health . . . I was hoping to see him while I was in the hospital, but Rebecca told Bones that wasn't going to happen."

His eyes glinting, Hank sighed deeply. "That's ridiculous. You and Jared saw your grandmother while she was in the hospital while she was dying and you two didn't turn psycho or something." Hank had always disliked Rebecca and over the years that dislike had intensified. "She can't bubble wrap Parker. She can't keep all the bad things out of his life."

He agreed, but Booth had long feared that Rebecca would keep him from seeing his son if he didn't play her game and now that he'd had a brain tumor there was more ammunition she could use against him in court if she ever decided to keep Parker away from him. "She's Parker's mother and she probably thinks she's doing the right thing, but . . . I don't know. He's eight years old. I wanted to see him, but I have to wait. I don't get a say in it."

Brennan didn't agree with Booth, not at all. "I think you should go to court and formalize your parental rights, Booth. You are his father and you pay child support. She has no right to keep you from Parker. Her reasons are specious at best. Parker is old enough to know that people get sick. She's treating him as if he is incapable of understanding that the world is not perfect. It is a grave disservice to Parker."

"Here, here." Hank agreed with Brennan one hundred percent. "I think Temperance is right and you should take Rebecca to court."

Not sure if that was a wise idea, Booth leaned back against his chair and closed his eyes. "She's a lawyer. She works for some hot shot law firm. She could take me to court and take away my right to see my son."

"On what grounds?" Brennan didn't like the way Booth seemed to accept defeat before he'd even tried to do anything about his son. Was this a change in Booth's personality? She wasn't sure and it worried her.

"On the grounds that I'm a reformed gambler and I only stopped gambling about five years ago . . . I have a dangerous job at the FBI. She can prove that because I've been shot twice while on the job and I've been kidnapped twice, once by a serial killer and once by a crime boss. Now I've had a brain tumor and add that on to my bad feet and back and . . . well, I think she'd get her way in court. When Parker gets older, he'll have a say about if he wants to see me, but I have to stay in his life until he gets to that age. I just don't want to rock the boat right now. I have a lot to lose . . . too much to lose."

His reasons were sound and logical and she hated the fact that Rebecca could use her partner's past against him. She had talked to Rebecca in the past and she had witnessed her threaten Booth about visitation rights with his son. Perhaps this wasn't a change in Booth's personality after all. Perhaps he was being more realistic than she and Hank were. "If you ever wish to fight her in court I will back you, Booth, but the decision is yours. Parker is your son and I know you would be devastated if Rebecca won the right to keep him away from you." She had seen a lot of tragedy in her life and she knew that justice didn't always come down on the side of right.

"Thanks Bones. I appreciate your support." Booth opened his eyes an stood up. "I have a headache. I'm going to go lie down for a while.'

Once Booth was out of the room, Hank moved over to the recliner and sat down. "I really dislike Rebecca. Seeley has a right to see his son, but she doesn't care about that. She always has to be right and Seeley always has to be wrong."

Staring at the bedroom door, Brennan knew that Booth didn't need this kind of stress in his life at the moment. He needed to stay positive and get well. "Once he gets to see Parker, he'll be as fine as he can be. In the meantime, I've tried to keep a positive attitude around Booth. He has an appointment with Dr. Michaels at the end of the week. It's possible that Booth may need some therapy. His hand eye coordination is a little off. Nothing drastic, but he is a sniper and he needs to be able to shoot with accuracy. I think therapy should take care of that . . . Booth has shown some signs of memory loss, but again nothing drastic. I was going to make his grandmother's lasagna recipe last night while he sat at the table and instructed me, but he couldn't remember the recipe. It's a small thing, but we're both worried there is more . . . We'll deal with it if anything else comes up, but for now, Booth has decided to take a wait and see attitude. I think that is the smart thing to do."

Hank didn't like the sound of his grandson's problems, but he had been prepared for anything when he'd heard about the surgery. Jared had driven him to the hospital twice to see his grandson, but he just couldn't stay away while his boy recovered. He had to be with his grandson and help him anyway he could. "I think that's a good idea. Don't invite trouble. It usually comes looking for you whether you want it to or not."

Glancing at her watch, Brennan decided to cook lunch. "If you'll come into the kitchen, perhaps you could tell me how to cook your late-wife's lasagna. I think Booth was very disappointed that he didn't get to eat lasagna last night."

"I can do more than tell you, Temperance. I'll help you make it. It will go faster if both of us work on it." Hank stood up and followed Brennan into the kitchen. "Thank you for allowing me to stay. I would have just worried if I'd stayed at home."

"You're always welcome to visit, Hank. Always."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	50. Chapter 50

(After 'The End in the Beginning')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

For three weeks, Booth had done what his surgeon had asked him to do. He didn't exercise with weights, he didn't run, he didn't drive and he avoided alcohol and caffeine. Bored, every day he found a reason to walk to a nearby convenience store just to leave the apartment and have something to do.

Hank knew his grandson was anxious to resume his life, but that couldn't begin until his surgeon cleared him. He worried when Booth was out of his sight, but he had to allow him some independence. The last thing he wanted to do was make an invalid out of his grandson. He tried to take his cue from Temperance. She was confident that Booth was recovering and as long as he abided by his restrictions he should be fine.

While the trips to the store weren't important, they let Booth stretch his legs and to get a bit of fresh air. They also allowed him to be on his own for a few minutes. He appreciated the help that his grandfather was giving him, but he wasn't used to anyone taking care of him and it made him feel weak. He hated that feeling and he hoped once he was back at work, his grandfather would stop worrying about him. At least Brennan was confident that he was doing fine and since she was a genius he trusted her instincts about how well he was doing.

On a mission to buy a box of tissues for his grandfather, Booth entered the store and found that the clerk behind the counter was being yelled at by a customer. The young man was standing as far from the outraged customer as he could, holding his hand over what appeared to be a bleeding lip. The clerk was clearly afraid and he wanted to make himself as small a target as possible.

Careful not to startle the customer, Booth walked over to the counter and stood in front of the entrance to the back of the counter preventing the angry man from advancing on the boy. "Is there a problem?"

Furious, the customer faced Booth and started to yell at him. "You stay out of this . . . that creep sold me a package of cookies that were open. I want my money back and he won't give it to me."

Glancing at the boy, Booth saw him shake his head. "Is that right?"

"No sir. He says he bought those cookies here, but we don't sell that brand." The boy's voice was shrill with fright, but he was grateful that someone was helping him. "I can't give him money. He doesn't have a receipt or anything."

His attention back on the angry customer, Booth pointed at the package on the counter. "Show me where you found these in the store."

"Bullshit! Who are you the cookie police?" The customer hit the bag of cookies with the back of his hand causing it to slide across the counter and on to the floor. "Give my money or I'll tear your head off." Stabbing Booth in the chest with his index finger, he also threatened Booth. "I'll tear your head off too if you don't mind your own business."

Grabbing the man's finger, Booth shoved it backward until everyone near the counter could hear the finger snap.

Howling in pain, the customer took a swing at Booth, missed and tried to knee him. Not connecting, he pulled a knife and slashed at Booth who disarmed him and knocked him to the ground. "Call 911."

The boy grabbed his phone from his back pants pocket and made the call. "He wanted me to give him $20 for a bag of cookies that we don't even sell." The police on the line, the young man told the emergency operator that he needed help, gave his address and ended his call. "Sir, can you stay until the police come?"

Staring down at the man, his foot standing on the knife, Booth nodded his head. "Not a problem. If this guy stands up, I'll knock him back down."

"I'll kill you. I'll have you arrested for assault." Furious the man grabbed for the knife and Booth kicked him in the shoulder forcing him back.

After a few minutes two police officers arrived with their guns drawn. Booth held up his hands and pointed at his pants pocket. "I'm a Federal Agent, if you'll let me, I'll show you my ID."

Cautiously, Officer Timmons nodded his head while the angry customer was screaming about being attacked. Booth removed his ID and gave it to Officer Carter. "When I walked into the store, I found the young guy behind the counter with his hand over his mouth, he was bleeding. This buy was threatening to kill him because he wanted $20 for a bag of opened cookies."

The clerk interrupted Booth. "We don't sell that brand of cookies and he didn't have a receipt and a bag of cookies like that probably sells for about $3 not $20. I'd be fired if I gave him $20 for no reason. My boss would consider it stealing."

The angry customer screamed at the boy. "I'll come back and kill you, you sorry piece of shit." Getting on his knees he pointed at Booth. "I'm going go kill you too." Lunging at Officer Carter, the man tried to grab his gun screaming that he was going to kill the cops too. With no choice, Officer Timmons shot the angry customer. Surprised, Booth watched the man fall to the floor, his hand over his chest, gasping. Booth grabbed some napkins from the counter knelt next to the wounded man and held them against the dying man's chest, but in a few short seconds he was dead.

Stunned the store clerk stared at the dead man and started to cry. "Gosh, I should have given him the $20 . . . this is my fault."

Booth moved around the counter and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Hey, this is not your fault. He grabbed for a police officer's weapon. He did this to himself. You didn't do anything wrong."

The boy wiped his hands across his cheeks. "I better call Mr. Nelson and tell what happened and that I quit. $20. This is nuts. $20."

Oooooooooooooooo

Before he left the store, Booth washed his hands in the store's restroom. The last thing he wanted to happen was to worry his grandfather. He had been at the store for two hours already and he'd called his grandfather to say he'd gone for a walk and would be back in time for lunch. Once he was back at his apartment building, he ran his hands through his hair, bumping the small bandage covering the scar on his skull. He didn't really think he needed the bandage, but Brennan had given him a speech about germs and contaminated incisions and he agreed to keep a bandage over the healing wound. He'd had the staples removed the week before and though that had been unpleasant, Booth had appreciated being staple free. They had pulled at his skin and it made him itchy. The incision was healing and his surgeon had told him that although he could go back to work in a couple of weeks, he would still be in recovery mode for a few more weeks.

Entering the apartment, Booth called out. "Hey Pops, I'm back."

Relieved, Hank stepped out of the kitchen and smiled at his grandson. "You were gone longer than I thought you would be. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He held out his hands and apologized. "Hey, I know you wanted some Kleenex, but I couldn't get some. The store I usually shop at was closed this morning."

"Closed? That's strange." Whoever closed a store on a Wednesday morning? "Well, don't worry about it. I can blow my nose with toilet paper."

Moving over to his bedroom, Booth glanced back at his grandfather. "I'm going to lie down for a while. I guess my walk made me tired."

"Alright. I'll hold off on making lunch until about one or so. You rest." Hank hoped his grandson hadn't over did his walk. He knew how anxious Seeley was to get well.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Cam was watching the news on her PC before going home for the day, when a report came on about a shooting at a Pack and Go store. As she watched the report, she noticed Booth leave the store behind the reporter, followed by a police officer who patted him on the shoulder before they went their separate ways. "Oh shit. What did you do?" Pulling her phone from her purse, Cam made a call.

 _Booth._

"Booth, I saw on the news about the shooting at the Pack and Go . . . Were you there when it happened?" Cam was certain that Booth had played hero when he should have been at home.

 _I was there, but I didn't shoot anyone, Cam. A guy tried to grab a gun from a police officer and while they fought over it another policeman shot him. I was just a witness._

Relieved, Cam gave a soft sigh before replying. "So, you're okay?"

 _Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. I was just at the store to buy some tissues for Pops and walked into a mess. The only one hurt was the guy who tried to grab the gun. The whole thing was nuts._

"Alright." Cam noticed Brennan walking by her office, stood up and motioned for her to come to her office. "Okay, well I'm glad you're okay. I hope you have a peaceful evening." The call ended, Cam explained about the shooting to Brennan and the fact that she had just talked to Booth. "He says he's fine and at home. He said he just witnessed the shooting. He didn't do the shooting."

Even though Cam said Booth was alright, Brennan decided she needed to see Booth right away to make sure. "I'm going home."

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow." Cam watched Brennan hurry down the hallway to her office and soon she was rushing by on the way to the exit. "He'd better have been telling me the truth." Cam suspected that more had occurred at the store because Booth wasn't the kind of man to just stand by when someone was in danger.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Once Brennan was in the apartment, she heard voices in the kitchen and entered that room. "I heard about the shooting at the convenience store."

"Cam told you." He had known that Cam would tell Brennan as soon as he ended the call. "I'm okay. I walked in the store and some guy was giving the store clerk a hard time over a bag of cookies. The kid called 911 and when the police showed up the customer tried to take a gun from one of the policeman. He was yelling that he was going to kill the kid, me and the cops, but the police shot and killed him. I didn't shoot anyone, promise. My gun is in the gun safe."

His story seemed sincere and Brennan was relieved that nothing had happened to him. "I'm glad you're unharmed."

"Yeah, me too." Booth smiled, moved over to where Brennan was standing and kissed her giving her a warm welcome home.

Clearing his throat, Hank replaced the lid on a pot of simmering rice on the stove and turned to stare at his grandson. "Why didn't you tell me that when you came home?"

Aware that his grandfather was upset with him, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to worry you. I was fine. I am fine."

Snorting, Hank shook his head. "You know what? Don't keep secrets from me. Let me worry when I need to worry . . . You've always hid stuff like that from me. I can take care of myself."

Embarrassed, Booth nodded his head. "Sure Pops. I just didn't think it was important to mention that's all. I was just a witness to the shooting. No one was hurt except the shooter."

"The dead shooter." Brennan stared at Booth and wondered if they were being told the entire story.

"Yeah, the dead shooter." Booth walked over to the cutting board, picked up a knife and started to cut off the tops of some bell peppers. "Pops and I are making stuffed peppers. We're making some of them vegetarian for you. It's my grandmother's recipe."

Since Booth was alright and appeared to be unhurt the subject of the shooting was a closed topic, at least for now.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	51. Chapter 51

(After 'The End in the Beginning')

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Worried, Booth placed his pistol down on the little table in front of him and pushed the button to move the paper target closer so he could see it better. As he feared, he hadn't been wrong. The target showed a group of four shots off center of the chest and he had missed the head shot completely. Staring at the paper, he realized that if he didn't start to improve, he might lose his job at the FBI. He was one of the best snipers they had at the Hoover and his skill with a pistol was astonishing or at least it had been that way until he'd had his head opened up.

He had done some therapy after his brain surgery because his hand/eye coordination seemed to be a bit off, but he hadn't taken the therapy seriously. Now that he'd actually held a gun in his hand and shot at a target, he could see that he had some work to do. _A lot of work._

The surgery seemed to have affected him in other ways too. Much to his annoyance, Brennan seemed to be keeping a list of the changes in him and he wasn't sure why. He'd found the list in the drawer of her nightstand while he was looking for some batteries for his electric toothbrush. He hadn't brought up the list with her because he didn't want her to think he was snooping, but that list bothered him. Apparently, he now climbed stairs leading with his right foot instead of his left and he held his phone against his left ear instead of his right. Black socks instead of colorful socks and his ties were staid. _Staid? Really?_

He'd noticed the stripped socks in his sock drawer, but he hadn't been sure why he would own them and had ignored them. The fact that Brennan was upset enough to write in a list that he wore black socks instead of the weird socks had made him start to doubt himself. If the changes she had mentioned in the list were upsetting her, why not mention it to him? Had he really changed that much? Were the changes important? He didn't know and he wasn't sure what he could do about it. Were these changes affecting his ability to shoot? Was it possible that he wasn't himself anymore and he didn't know it?

Afraid that it was possible that the tumor had changed him and turned him into something different, Booth began to wonder if those changes were going to affect his relationship with Brennan. Was she going to leave him? Did she hate the new Booth? Where was the old Booth and could he be that guy again? He was floundering and he didn't know what to do or who to talk to. Yes, he was afraid. He didn't want to lose Brennan. He loved her so much, but if the changes were as bad as they looked, was Brennan falling out of love with him? That was his biggest worry of all. Had the brain tumor destroyed his future?

Ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan was trying to remain positive, but she was worried about her mate. Booth had come out of surgery a changed man. He seemed to have forgot about his eccentricities, his bold ties, his colorful socks, his cocky belt buckle. They were sitting in his dresser and he was ignoring them. He was wearing ties that could only be called bland and boring. She hadn't known he owned ties like that, but he did and he was wearing them. His colorful socks were being neglected and Booth was wearing black socks. Black socks. It just seemed like the Booth she had known and loved was fading away and was being replaced by someone she didn't understand. Before his surgery he had loved his little rebellions. That was what Dr. Gordon Wyatt had called them and she had agreed with him. Booth had served in the military since he was 20 years old and during that time, he had been told what he could wear and when he could wear it. He hadn't objected because conformity was important in the military, but once he was out, his wardrobe steadily grew from conservative to more colorful designs. Brennan had found it amusing that he searched for theme socks during the holidays and was the proud owner of 10 pairs of Christmas themed socks and underwear.

It wasn't just the clothes that bothered her. He seemed quieter and uneasy about their relationship. In the past, he had thoroughly enjoyed bickering with her. They both had strong opinions about everything and they weren't shy about expressing those opinions, but that had changed after his surgery. For some reason she didn't understand, when an argument began, Booth quickly stopped it by not participating. He walked away from her or he just shook his head and found something else to talk about. She didn't understand why he wouldn't argue with her and she wondered if he was falling out of love with her. Was it possible the new Booth wasn't interested in a relationship with her and was withdrawing from her? She didn't know and it made her sad.

It had taken her a long time to realize that what she felt for Booth was love and not just hormones and chemicals. She had found Booth attractive from the moment she met him and had fought her attraction towards him. For many years, she had assumed she was infatuated with Booth because of his Alpha-maleness, but when he'd been shot, when she had thought he had died, it was then that she realized that she loved him. When it turned out that he had not died she had wanted to be part of his life. She had known that he was interested in her too, but up until the shooting she had assumed that he was reacting to her alpha-femaleness and the fact that she was beautiful. Of course, the shooting had changed everything and they were in a loving relationship or at least she hoped they were. She didn't know if Booth was going to leave her or not and it filled her with anxiety. He had promised her early in their friendship that he would not walk away from her, but did he remember that promise? Had she let down her walls and started a relationship that was doomed to failure? She was afraid that the answer was yes and she knew that if Booth left her, she would be devastated.

Oooooooooooooooo

Carefully adjusting the knot on his tie, Booth made sure it was straight before buttoning his jacket. He had a meeting with Deputy Director Carl Fairburn in two hours about when he could return to work. He wanted to be presentable and had been careful when he'd shaved earlier. It was his hope that Fairburn would allow him back to work at least part time. He felt fine, his headaches were gone and his memory lapses didn't seem as bad as they had at first.

"Why are you wearing a suit?" Brennan had entered their bedroom to retrieve her laptop when she had found Booth standing in front of the dresser in his suit.

"I have a meeting with Fairburn. I'm going to see if I can go back to work. Dr. Michaels says I can work at least part time for a couple of weeks." His jacket buttoned, Booth checked his hair once more and was pleased to see that his hair was able to cover the scar fairy well. "I hate being stuck at home. I'm bored and I want to go back to work."

She knew that it would probably be better for Booth if he returned to work, but she feared he wasn't really ready yet. He had shown her the paper target when he had returned from the range and she was concerned that Fairburn might not let him return. "But you're starting therapy again. You told me you have an appointment this afternoon."

"Yeah, but I can work part time and still do therapy." Booth turned to face Brennan. "Look, I'm pretty sure I have a ton of paper work sitting on my desk and you can bet Morris is doing as little of it as possible. He hates paper work more than I do. Even if I can't go in the field, I can still do that side of my job."

And he was right. Sitting at his desk working on reports would not put too much strain on him. "I'd planned on staying home today and work on my novel, but if you're going to go back to work, I will too. I can work in Bones Storage."

He hadn't realized that Brennan was going to stay home, but then again, they hadn't been talking to each other lately. "Okay, I'll let Pops know that we're not going to be here. Maybe he'll decide to go home. I think he's bored hanging around me anyway."

"Let me know what Fairburn tells you."

"I will."

Oooooooooooooooooo

The clothes that Booth was wearing disturbed Fairburn and he wasn't sure why. "Black suit, black tie, white shirt . . . this seems kind of out of character, Booth."

Surprised, Booth looked down at his clothes then back at the Deputy Director. "I'm an FBI Agent not a fashion model."

Confused, Fairburn studied the agent for a few seconds before responding. "Your surgeon says you can return part time. I'll agree to that as long as it's understood that you can't go out in the field. You need to pass your firearms recertification and Dr. Sweets will have to interview you before you can return to work full time. I don't think we need to rush the process. Your job title is Supervisory Special Agent. It's unusual for a man in your position to go out in the field and do investigations, so I don't have a problem with you fulfilling just your Supervisory duties. When you're ready to return to work full time, you'll have to provide a letter from Dr. Sweets saying it's alright. The recertification can wait until you're ready. Of course, you will need that to go back into the field." He wanted to be absolutely clear. He wouldn't allow Booth to do any investigative work if he wasn't able to protect himself. The recertification was a requirement.

"I understand, Sir." Booth knew that he'd be able to get recertified, but he needed more therapy before that could happen as well as a lot of practice at the gun range. "I'd like to start tomorrow."

"That's fine." Fairburn stared at Booth's black tie and shook his head. "Is there anything I need to know about your recovery?" His agent's clothing seemed to be completely out of character and he wondered why.

Afraid that Fairburn was looking for a way to get him to retire with a medical, Booth tried to answer with as little emotion as possible. He didn't want to give the man any ammunition to use against him. "I need some therapy for my hand and that's for twice a week for four weeks. I should be through by then. I plan to practice at the range once therapy is done and I think I'll be able to recertify after that . . . say eight weeks."

"Alright." Fairburn valued Booth's experience and if it turned out that the agent couldn't return to the field as an investigator, he didn't see why Booth couldn't remain in his position. As long as he recertified with at least average skills with his gun, that would be acceptable. "You may start next Monday. It's Thursday, so enjoy the little vacation and come back in next week. I'm pretty sure there will be plenty for you to do when you get back."

Disappointed he couldn't start earlier Booth nodded his head. "Thank you, Sir." Standing, Booth shook Fairburn's hand. "I'll be here Monday."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Back at home, Booth had removed his suit and was standing in front of his dresser staring into one of the open drawers wearing just a pair of jeans. There were more colorful socks than solid color socks in the drawer that was for certain and it made Booth think back to how Fairburn had commented on his clothing. He wondered why everyone seemed so upset about how he dressed. Pulling out a pair of purple and white stripped socks, he slipped them on his feet then found a vintage t-shirt to wear. Dressed, he closed the dresser and leaned on it. "My name is Seeley Joseph Booth. I'm . . . I'm Seeley Joseph Booth."

Hank had heard his grandson talking as he walked down the hallway and decided to check on him. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know Pops." Closing his eyes for a few seconds, he opened them and turned to face his grandfather. "Deputy Director Fairburn made a comment about my clothes and said I was out of character whatever that means." Moving over to the nightstand on Brennan's side of the bed, he removed the list he had found earlier and showed it to his grandfather. "Am I . . . Am I the man you used to know? Am I Seeley Booth or am I someone else now?"

A little alarmed, Hank took the notebook and read the list. "Seeley . . . yes, I've noticed some of these changes too, but really they're just superficial. You're still you. You're still Seeley Booth."

"I'm afraid that Bones might be falling out of love with me because I'm not me anymore. These changes . . . she's worried and maybe she doesn't like the changes and she's having second thoughts about being in a relationship with me. Maybe she doesn't love me anymore."

"What?" Hank was shocked that his grandson would even consider such a possibility. "Son, you're wrong. That woman loves you. She's worried about you and yes it looks like she's keeping track of some of the changes she's seen in you, but if she didn't love you she wouldn't be doing this. You know she's analytical, you like that about her. You're always talking about that wonderful brain she has . . . well this is just who she is. She's collecting data, maybe to make sure that you're not in trouble or something . . . I mean, she's probably making sure that you can get help if you need it, but these things she's written down, they're minor and don't really mean anything. You had brain surgery. You had a tumor the size of a melon ball removed from your brain and sure that's affected you, but you're still Seeley Booth. Okay? You're still you."

He wanted to believe his grandfather, but that list worried him. "Bones and I aren't really talking to each other . . . I mean for the last week or so. I don't know why . . . well maybe I do . . . We started arguing and I walked away. I don't know why I did that. I just didn't want to argue and I walked away and I think it made her mad because she hasn't said much to me since then. I think I need to talk to her about it, but I didn't want to start another argument."

"Seeley, you and Temperance argue all the time. You enjoy it." Hank walked over the chair near the closet and sat down. "You two have strong opinions and you both want your sides heard. I've never known you two not to argue, but it's not serious. It's never serious. You mostly agree to disagree and you move on . . . maybe you forgot about that . . . Look, I don't think she's mad at you. I think she's just concerned that you didn't want to bicker a little and she doesn't want to push you. You need to talk to her, Son. You need to talk about what's going on in your life and in her life. This surgery you went through wasn't a small thing. It was serious and it affected us all, not just you. When she comes home tonight, I'll go to my room and you can talk. Get this stuff out in the open before you do something that wrecks your relationship. Just be honest with her. Talk to her. You know you can trust her."

He thought about it for a few minutes and then nodded his head. "Yeah, I need to talk to her. I need to do it today."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	52. Chapter 52

(After 'The End in the Beginning')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

His first therapy session had gone alright as far as Booth was concerned. He'd talked with the therapist, told her what his goals were and they had worked out a plan to get him where he needed to be. He planned to work on his shooting at the gun range after his first week of therapy just to get used to shooting again. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to get back to the point where he was the best marksman at the FBI, but at this point he wanted to be practical. He needed to recertify and he'd take an average score for his final test if he had to. He could always work on proficiency after he returned to investigative work. He wanted to go back out in the field with Brennan and he needed to be able to protect her and himself when he did.

While he waited for Brennan to return from the Lab, Booth decided to do some laundry. He knew that they were falling behind and if he didn't do the wash soon, he'd be going commando. Folding the first load of clean clothes, Booth heard Brennan call out his name looking for him. Placing the clean clothes in the basket, he left the room and found his partner in the living room. "Hey."

Hesitating, Brennan placed her purse down on the coffee table and faced her lover. "How was therapy?"

"Not bad." Booth moved further into the room and stood near the couch. "She thinks she can help me . . . Bones, I think we need to talk."

The solemnness of his voice made Brennan wonder what Booth wanted to talk to her about. Was he going to break up with her? She didn't know, but not knowing wasn't helping the situation. It was probably best to just get this over with. "Alright, perhaps we should talk."

Suddenly nervous, Booth wondered if this conversation would lead the end of their relationship. "Look, I know that I've been a little different since my operation . . . I haven't been acting like the Booth you know, but Bones, I'm . . . I'm as much of me as I can be. I guess I've forgotten some things like the socks in my dresser." He lifted up his pants legs and showed her his stripped socks. "Fairburn made a remark about my clothes . . . I guess I like crazy socks and colorful ties. I don't remember liking that stuff, but when I came back from the Hoover I put on some striped socks and it didn't feel strange . . . it kind of felt right." He tried to read her expression, but Brennan had the best poker face when she needed it. "I found your list. I wasn't snooping, I was just looking for batteries and I found your list in your nightstand . . . I'm sorry that I've been worrying you, Bones. I didn't know about the changes . . . I didn't know it was worrying you. I wish you'd talked to me about it."

Not sure if she should be angry about him finding the list or not, she decided that perhaps it had been a good thing that he had. "I have been cataloging the changes I've noticed in you because they are noteworthy. You seem more subdued, you don't talk to me as much as you used to before your surgery and when we start to bicker you stop communicating. I have to ask you a question . . . I fear what your answer will be, but I think it would be best for both of us, if you would give me an answer. An honest answer . . . Do you love me? Have your forgotten about that too? Do you wish to end our relationship?"

Appalled, Booth stepped closer, but not close enough to invade her space. "What? No, no Bones. I love you. I haven't forgot what you mean to me. I don't want to break up with you . . . Um, I know that the changes are worrying you . . . They have to be since you made a list . . . Since I've changed, since I'm not the Booth I used to be do you . . . " He paused and cleared his throat. "Do you want to break up with me? I mean, I can understand, since I'm not me anymore . . ."

She stepped closer and moved her arms around his chest. "Booth, I do love you." She felt his arms move around her and felt him kiss her cheek. "I have been worried about the changes and I've been keeping track of them so that I can report them to your surgeon the next time you have an appointment. I know you weren't aware of the changes and I'd decided that I would go with you to your next appointment . . . Booth you're wrong when you say you're not you. That doesn't actually make sense. Of course you're still Seeley Booth. Clothes doesn't define who you are. Neither does how you hold a phone or walk up some steps. There is so much more to you than that."

He held her against his body and thanked God that he hadn't lost his partner after all. "I haven't been talking to you or anyone else, Bones. At least not very much. The surgery left me with holes in my memory. I don't know what I don't know and it's frustrating as hell. Pops will say something and I'll think what the hell is he talking about? You've done it a couple of times since I came home. To be honest, it's kind of scary. You have memories about me that I don't have. I don't know if I'll ever get those memories back, but I think the answer is probably not. I can't count on it anyway . . . I just don't know what to say when you bring up something I can't remember. I don't know how to react."

Pulling away from his embrace, Brennan looked into his worried face and knew that he needed assurances, he needed a way to get around his problem. "You can tell me that you don't remember what I'm talking about. You can ask me to explain or you can just talk about something else. Not every memory we have is that important Booth. There are somethings that I wouldn't mind forgetting. I'm sure that applies to you too . . . It isn't terrible that you've forgotten a few things. It really isn't. You've told me more than once that you don't believe in living in the past. You want to live in the here and now and that's fine. All I ask is that you don't stop talking to me . . . And if you wish to argue about something that's fine too. You're allowed to disagree with me, Booth and I'm allowed to disagree with you. It's part of our friendship. We're honest with each other. We try to be truthful towards each other. Sometimes that leads to arguments . . . to bickering, but we usually work it out sooner or later."

Aware that his memory problem was going to make his relationship with Brennan more complicated, Booth was grateful that Brennan understood and was prepared to deal with it. "Thanks, Bones. I mean that. I'm hoping that the holes in my memory aren't too bad. But I guess we can deal with them as they come up . . . Pops and I looked at my photo album for a little while after I came back from the Hoover. The good news is, I haven't forgotten anyone at least not anyone that I have pictures of . . . the things I've forgotten seem to be random, so I'm sure I might not remember everyone that I've ever met, but to tell you the truth, I didn't before I had the surgery. I don't have a photographic memory like you do. I make an effort to know the people I work with. Some people are memorable and some people aren't . . . You know I'll never forget you, Bones. You're the most fascinating person I've ever met. You make my life interesting."

Her cheeks warm, Brennan leaned forward and kissed her mate. "You make my life interesting too, Booth and you make me happy."

"You make me happy too, Bones. I want to live with you forever."

"Well, I think forever is too much to count on, but I will settle for forty or fifty years, Booth."

Ooooooooooooooo

That evening, Hank waited until dinner was over and they were in the living room watching television. "I'm going to go back home. I think you're doing pretty well, Shrimp and I think I'm just in the way now."

"Never Pops, you're never in the way." Booth knew that his grandfather missed his friends and his routines, so he understood why the old man was ready to leave. "But thank you for coming and staying with us. I really enjoyed your company . . . You know you can come back anytime. Anytime you're bored or just want to get away. We have a bedroom ready for you."

"Are you still going to buy a house together?" Hank was curious if that plan had changed since his grandson's surgery."

Brennan broke into the conversation. "Yes, I have seen a few houses that I think might be what we're looking for. I've just been waiting for Booth to recover before we continued house hunting."

Surprised at the turn in the conversation, Booth turned to face his girlfriend. "We're looking for a house? Really?"

"I see you have forgotten." Brennan smiled and placed her hand on his knee. "You were the one that argued that we need a place that we can call ours. It is inconvenient to live in your apartment for a week or two and then in my apartment. It's logical that we find a house and combine our households."

He didn't remember that they were looking for a house, but it was exciting news. "Wow, this is great. This is really great news."

"I'm glad you think so." Brennan turned her attention towards Hank. "We will be looking for a three or four bedroom house, so that you will have a bedroom to use whenever you wish to visit."

Hank loved Brennan like a granddaughter and her kindnesses made him feel wanted. "Thank you, Temperance."

"You're welcome."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	53. Chapter 53

(Harbingers in the Fountain)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooo

Avalon Harmonia knew that Angela worked for the Medico-Legal Lab in the District and she had connections with the FBI. She had met Angela in a park while the artist was drawing still-lifes and she had been drawn to her because of her brilliant red aura. People with brilliant red auras were very passionate, sexual, full of energy and competitive. Avalon didn't meet a lot of bright red auras and was fascinated with those mortals that carried an aura around like that.

Intrigued with Avalon, Angela had soon found out that her new friend was psychic and that she could read the future and the past by using Taro cards. One day, she found a lot on her mind and asked her friend Avalon to give her a reading. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she didn't think it would hurt to get professional help.

Aware that her friend seemed to be troubled, Avalon graciously agreed to meet her in the park. "So, you want to know about the future or the past?" Sometimes her clients and friends didn't know what they wanted and it didn't hurt to try to pin it down. "I think it's easier if you just let me read the cards and see what they say, but it's up to you."

"That sounds okay." Angela was anxious about her friend, Booth. He was working part time at the Hoover and she didn't know if he was ever going to work with them again. Brennan seemed to be quiet and sad about the situation and she wanted to help them as much as she could.

Pulling her cards from her bag, Avalon laid the deck on the table between them and asked Angela to pick four cards and place them face down on the table. After that was done, she gave her friend a slight smile and turned over the first card. "Hope, you're blessed. You've gone through a terrible life challenge but you haven't lost hope, that's good."

"I broke up with Hodgins and then Roxie. I . . . I had a rough time after that, but Hodgins and I have come around to being friends again, so I can see that."

"The second card is change . . . you need to be positive, it's time for you to replace the old foundations of the past with something that is more genuine."

"I'm worried about someone I work with." Angela knew the cards were for her, but she needed to know if Booth was going to be alright. If he wasn't then it would affect Brennan and she didn't want Brennan to be sad or unhappy. She deserved to be happy.

"I'm doing a reading for you, Angela . . . The third card is the fool. The fool is there to show you that you can never really tell what lies ahead and you can only greet it with joy and the fourth card, the death card . . . you're going through a major change a transformation. Don't be afraid of the future, you're opening the door to new life events."

She could see the cards were speaking to her about the ups and downs she'd gone through in her relationships lately. She had made a drastic change in her life because Sweets had recommended it and had been celibate for a while, but she still didn't know if that was helping her in anyway. "My friend Brennan is living with a guy named Seely Booth. He had brain surgery and she's worried about him. He's changed. I could tell just by the way he was dressing that he'd changed, but anyway, I need to know if he's going to recover enough to work with Brennan again. He works for the FBI. She really hates working with anyone else and we're all just worried I guess."

Avalon could see that her friend was anxious, so she cut the cards again and pulled up one card. "The knight of swords . . . I think your friend Seeley will be fine. He's determined to reach his goals and there is absolutely nothing to stop him." This Seeley Booth person seemed interesting and Avalon hoped she'd get to meet him some day.

Relieved that Booth was going to be okay, Angela exhaled deeply. "This is a weight off of my mind. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Avalon had known Angela long enough to trust her with a huge secret. This secret had been preying on her for a few years and she knew that if she didn't do something about it soon, nothing would change and her sister would not get the justice she needed to move on peacefully to the next phase of her existence. Reticent, she told Angela about the mass grave under the Teversham fountain. She didn't know if Angela had any clout at where she worked, but her cards had told her to trust Angela and she did.

She didn't know it, but this case was the first one Seeley Booth would be involved in since his brain surgery.

"I don't believe in psychics, Bones." Booth had found the grave Angela had told them about using a ground penetrating radar device. Suspicious, Booth knew that he was going to need to talk to Avalon Harmonia. He was more inclined to believe that the 'psychic' knew about the bodies because she had helped put them under the fountain.

"Yes, you've said often enough that there is no such thing as coincidence and I agree with you." Brennan had stared at the screen showing bones below her feet and hoped that Angela wasn't allowing herself to be used by a mass murderer. "We need to dig up this area and exhume the bones."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Not surprised in the least, Avalon was soon sitting in an interrogation room at the Hoover sitting across a table from Agent Seeley Booth. "You're the man that had brain surgery that Angela was worried about . . . pick a card." She placed her deck of cards on the table and waited for the agent to pick up one.

Impatiently, Booth picked the card from the top of the deck hoping to move the interview along. "How did you know that the bodies were under the fountain?"

"I'm psychic." Fascinated, Avalon stared at the card for a moment then looked at the man sitting across the table. "You're worried that you lost something, but you didn't lose anything."

"Look, I don't need you to do a reading for me, okay? I want to know how you knew about the bodies under the fountain." He was trying to be patient, but Avalon telling him she was a psychic wasn't an answer he was willing to accept.

Amused, but trying to hide it, Avalon leaned on the table and tried to be serious. "It's all in the cards, Agent Booth. Everything you need to know is here in the cards."

Since he wasn't going to get anything else from her without some piece of evidence to force her to admit what she knew, Booth stood up. "I'm going to talk to you again. This isn't over."

Waving her hand towards the door, Avalon smiled. "I'm sure it isn't."

Once she was out of the Hoover, she walked down the street to her car and drove over to Pershing Park, parked her car and found a bench to sit on. The day was warm and the sky was a clear blue color, no clouds in sight. After a while, she shifted on her seat and turned to face the steps leading up to the statue. "Why are you following me?"

Surprised that she could see him, Teddy smiled and moved closer. "Am I following you?"

"I think so." The young man standing before her was wearing an army uniform and she was intrigued. "I saw you at the Hoover when I was talking to Agent Booth and now, I see you here. I think you need to tell me who you are and why you're following me."

A cocky grin of confidence on his face, Teddy moved over to the steps leading up to the statue of John J. Pershing and sat down. "My name is Theodore Parker, but my friends call me Teddy . . . You were talking to Seeley Booth. He was a friend of mine."

"I see. Does he know that you're hanging around him?" Avalon always found it sad when she came across a soul that hadn't moved on yet.

"He used to before his brain surgery." Teddy sighed. "I thought I'd move on after he had his tumor removed, but I'm worried about him. He . . . he's changed. He seems . . . confused I guess is a good word. He has to be recertified so he can carry a gun again, but he's not doing well. He's practicing and he's getting better, but . . . well, he's not as good as he used to be and he's forgot things. His girlfriend is helping him, but I don't know . . . I need to know if he's going to be alright before I leave . . . he did me a huge favor when I was killed by making sure I wasn't left behind. Rangers never leave anyone behind, but he was by himself and he had to carry me the whole way to the helicopter. I got a proper burial and my parents don't have to worry about where I am, but . . . He's got me worried. I want him to be happy, but he's not happy. He's sad. He shouldn't be. He's living with a woman he loves. He has a great kid and a good job, but he's not happy. I think that surgery messed him up and I don't know what to do about it."

She knew that the young man was concerned, but his priorities were skewed. "There is nothing you can do about it. You're not supposed to be here." She had seen this before and she always had a problem convincing the confused soul that they should move on. "Agent Booth will be alright, I promise. He just needs time that's all."

"Well, I have time, so I don't think I should leave until I know for sure he's okay." Teddy clasped his hands together and looked at his boots. "He's had a hard life and this brain tumor is just more of the same, I guess. I really admire him most of the time . . . He's not perfect." Teddy laughed. "Yeah, no . . . he has a temper, but he doesn't mistreat people. He's a gambling addict, but he doesn't gamble anymore. He kind of hates smart people except his girlfriend is the smartest person I've ever seen. He's what you'd call a walking contradiction. He blamed himself for a long time when I was killed, but that was my fault not his. I got to tell him that when he could see me and I think he accepted that. One of his biggest problems is he takes responsibility for things that have nothing to do with him. He's kinda like Atlas with the world on his shoulders . . . I just wish he could be happy again. He was real happy when he got together with his girlfriend, but since he's been operated on, he's got this gray cloud hovering over him."

Patiently, Avalon waited for Teddy to tell her all the things he needed to say. Once he stopped, she stood up, moved over to where the spirit was sitting and sat down next to him. "You're a good friend, I can tell, but Teddy . . . Seeley needs to live his life and you need to move on to the next phase of your existence. You said he used to see you and you talked to him. That's good. You got him to accept that your death wasn't his responsibility. I think you've done all you can do don't you think so? He can't see and hear you anymore. You said so yourself. Why don't you give me a message for him, I'll make sure he gets it and you can move on to where you're supposed to be. If everything works out, you may see him again some day when he moves on from this plane of existence. What do you say?"

Trying to do the right thing, Teddy finally nodded his head and stood up. "If you could, I need you to tell him that Teddy is fine and tell him that the next time he's in trouble, he needs to duck. I think that will say it all. It was nice meeting you Avalon. I've never met a psychic before."

With a feeling of satisfaction, Avalon watched Teddy move up the stairs and once he reached the top, he stepped into a wall of white light. Once he disappeared, the light winked out and she knew that Teddy was where he was supposed to be. "Bye Teddy."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Working on the case with Brennan had felt right to Booth and his uneasiness had started to leave him. Fairburn had agreed to let him back into the field after Sweets' recommendation. He still needed to pass his recertification, but he was confident he could pass it. He wasn't the shot he used to be, but he was working with someone he trusted and his shooting was improving.

His memory problem didn't seem to be as bad as he had first feared. He knew how to do his job and so far, nothing that was being asked of him was beyond him. It seemed that a lot of the things he had forgotten were things he had learned as a younger man and not something from the recent past. He could live with that. If he came across something that he really needed to know, he was confident he could relearn it whatever it was. His surgeon said he was doing great and there was no sign that his tumor was making a try to come back.

His biggest cheerleader was Brennan and he appreciated the things she did for him. He was wearing his crazy socks and his colorful ties and that seemed to ease the worries of those around him. He had yet to wear the cocky belt buckle that was sitting on his dresser, but that was because he didn't feel cocky. The brain tumor had sobered him up in a way that reminded him that he was mortal and he didn't have complete control over his life. Something as simple as a brain tumor could have killed him, so he didn't want to take anything for granted. Maybe someday he could wear the belt buckle again, but for now, there was nothing for him to be cocky about.

After he had come out of his coma, he'd found himself wishing for the life he had dreamt about when he had time to think about it, but as the weeks came and went, the dream seemed to fade a little. That world wasn't the bright and shiny bauble it had been. Real life was starting to dominate his thoughts and he found it ridiculous to long for a make-believe world. He had everything that he had ever wanted, a woman in his life that he adored and loved, a son that brought him joy and a job he was good at. He was making a difference in the world. With the help of Brennan and the scientists at the Lab he was taking killers off the street and the victims of crime were getting justice. His world wasn't perfect, but it never had been. He didn't believe that anyone had a perfect life and if they said they did they were probably lying. He was a realist and he accepted that life had it's ups and its downs. He was alive and he was relatively happy or at least it felt like he was happy. He could live with that.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

In the end, they arrested Alexander Gallo for fraud, amongst other crimes, but not for murder. Brennan wasn't satisfied, but Booth was. "Come on Bones. The guy is going to get 100 years at least. He's never going to get out of prison and that's a win as far as I'm concerned."

She conceded that life in prison was still punishment. "Yes, I suppose so." Brennan spied Avalon leaving the elevator and walk through the bullpen towards Booth's office. "I'm sorry we couldn't get Gallo for killing your sister. Sometimes you have to just settle for the second-best situation. I'm sorry too, for how we manipulated you into scratching his face.'

Shrugging her shoulders, Avalon let them know that she wasn't upset. "It was rational. You needed his DNA and his skin under my fingernails gave it to you. I understand."

Glad the case was over Booth clapped his hands together. "This is usually when we go and get a drink to celebrate. You can join us if you want to."

"Nah, that's okay." Before leaving the couple, Avalon smiled at Booth. "I talked to Teddy the other day. He told me to tell you that he's fine and the next time you're in trouble you need to duck."

A chill running down his spine, Booth stared at Avalon with his mouth open. For a few moments he was speechless. "Uh . . . you saw Teddy?"

"Wait, are you saying that you conversed with Teddy Parker? That is impossible since he's dead." Brennan didn't know what game Avalon was playing, but she didn't like it all. Teddy had been a manifestation of Booth's tumor and she didn't want anyone confusing Booth about that.

"Yeah, I saw him and he wanted me to give his message to Agent Booth before he moved on." She could see the disbelief in Brennan's face and the confusion in Booth's. "Teddy is fine, Agent Booth. He's finally moved on which is what I am sure you wanted him to do."

Afraid to believe the psychic, Booth shrugged his shoulders. On the ship, he had thought that Teddy was a ghost as well as when he'd seen him in the cemetery. Later, when Teddy appeared in the interrogation room, he thought that his old friend was just a delusion because of his brain tumor. Now Avalon was telling him that she saw him. It was just too confusing. "Um, do you want to go and get a drink with Bones and me?"

"No, I have things to do." Avalon knew that Booth would never acknowledge what she had said and she was willing to accept that. "I'll see you around, Agent Booth . . . oh, that dream you had, it was just a dream Agent Booth. Don't let it make you sad. You're doing okay in this life and what more can you ask for?"

"Nothing." Booth agreed. He had given up on the dream. This was his life and it wasn't a bad life after all.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.

A/N: part of this chapter was based upon a suggestion by lauwy.


	54. Chapter 54

(The Bond in the Boot)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The pipe below his kitchen sink had ruptured and Booth felt it was time for he and Brennan to get serious about looking for a house. The apartment he was living in was old and the supervisor didn't make repairs unless he was threatened and even then, Booth considered his work to be a half-ass job. He had stopped asking for repairs to be done after his second year living there and took care of the repairs himself, but he was tired of funding the repairs and he hoped this was the last repair he needed to make.

After he cut off the water, he examined the pipes and realized that he didn't have a clue how to fix the pipe. That worried him. He'd learned how to fix pipes from his grandfather and had even helped replace the pipes in this grandfather's house, but lying on his stomach staring at the pipes he realized that he had found something else he couldn't remember. Determined to fix the pipe, Booth drove to the bookstore to look for a book on plumbing, but he didn't find one that made sense to him. Disgusted, he left the store and drove over to a hardware store he liked to do business with and looked for a plumbing book for dummies. He'd seen those books before and he'd always snickered about their existence. Now that he actually needed a book like that, he couldn't find it.

Back home, he called a plumber and asked how much it would cost to fix it. The plumber had insisted that all of the pipes in the wall needed to be replaced, quoted him a price and Booth balked. He didn't want to spend that kind of money on a place that wasn't his. Disgusted, he mentioned the problem to Brennan that evening and she looked at the pipes herself. "You need water until we move, Booth. Not unless you want to wash dishes in the bathroom."

Annoyed, Booth leaned against the counter and stared at Brennan's hips while he tried to ignore the obviousness of her statement. "Didn't you say you have a house you want me to look at. If it's the right house, we can go ahead and buy it and move in. Tim Pearson can replace the pipes if he wants to rent the place again. In the meantime, I'll tell him the pipes are bad and we can stay at your apartment until the pipes are fixed or until we move to our place."

Crawling backwards, Brennan emerged from the crawlspace below the sink and turned to stare at Booth. "That is actually an excellent plan. Your lease is up in three months. We have that long to find our place and move before you have to sign a new lease . . . If we run past the deadline, we can pack up your things, put them into storage and we'll live at my apartment until we find what we're looking for."

"I like your plan too." Booth stared at the sink and shook his head. "I've been a sucker for keeping this place up, but the rent is cheap and the repairs never cost that much. I'd rather put my money into something we own though."

Moving to her feet, Brennan closed the door on the crawlspace and turned to face Booth. "I think we've come up with a reasonable plan . . . I am sorry that you've forgotten about how to work on plumbing. I know you are disconcerted, but it is something that you can relearn. I know you can."

Confident that she was right, Booth smiled. "Yeah, if I need to relearn it I can. I learned it once, I can learn it again."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Still practicing with his weapon at the shooting range, Booth was improving and could qualify at that point, but he still wanted to recertify as the same gifted marksman he was before he had the operation. He wasn't sure if that was possible, but he didn't want to give up. He had too much pride to give up.

While he and Brennan were working on a case, they both managed to look at the house that Brennan was interested in. Once they both looked at it, they decided that it was too much money for so little square footage. Continuing their search for houses that were available on the market, they both looked at listings and tried to determine if any of them were worth looking at. The price of the houses made Booth feel sick, but Brennan reminded him that he had agreed to let her pay for the house. He didn't remember making that concession, but he knew that Brennan would never lie to him and he could only assume that they had argued about it and he'd lost. He hated to let her pay for the house, but he couldn't back out of something he'd agreed to just because he couldn't remember it.

After they closed their case, Booth was looking in the newspaper when he spied a house that both he and Brennan might agree to. It was two stories, with three bedrooms and one and a half baths upstairs. Downstairs contained a living room, kitchen, a full bath and a spacious guest bedroom that could be turned into an office. There was a basement with an open floor plan. The back part of the basement had been used as a utility room and Brennan didn't see why it couldn't still be used as such. Booth thought they could put up a wall and divide that room from the rest of the basement. He thought he might be able to turn it into a recreational room.

The price was a little cringe worthy, but Brennan had just received her advance on her next book. It was being published in two months and the Publisher felt that it would make even more money than the last one did. She was comfortable paying for the house and she made it clear to Booth that he would be responsible for repairs and upkeep. They were a partnership and since that was the original plan, Booth was fine with it. If he didn't know how to fix something, he knew he could find a book to help him learn what he needed to know or he could ask his grandfather. The man was a font of knowledge when it came to home repairs.

After they toured the home, the couple agreed that the house was probably their best option. It was a twenty-five minute drive from work, there were two grocery stores and a hardware store all within a fifteen minute drive from the house. There was a hospital twenty minutes away and a walk-in clinic in a strip mall just ten minutes away. All in all it wasn't a bad location and the house didn't need a lot of work at the moment. Brennan hated the paint color in the guest bedroom downstairs and in the basement and Booth knew that was an easy fix. He did know how to paint.

"What do you think, Booth?" Brennan liked the spacious back yard and the fact they had trees in both the front and back yard. "It's not perfect, but it is what we need."

"I think so too." Booth closed the front door and walked out into the yard. He checked the trees and though he didn't know a lot about them, they looked healthy to him. "If you want to make an offer go ahead . . . If you want to continue looking we can do that too, but so far this is the only house we've seen that we both liked." He wasn't sure they needed a four bedroom house, but the guest bedroom downstairs seemed like a good idea. He didn't want his grandfather climbing up and down too many stairs when he visited. Booth knew he could put railing on the stairs going down to the basement to make it safer for Pops and anyone else that needed a steady hand. "A little painting and I think we can get it the way we want it. The garage is a two car garage and I like the built in storage cabinets along the back wall . . . It's a nice house."

She agreed. "I think we have a house, Booth. I think this is what we've been looking for," Excited, Brennan turned and stared at the front of the house. "I've never owned a house before. I haven't actually lived in a house since I aged out of Foster Car . . . I've never needed more than an apartment . . . I feel like we're making the right decision."

"Good." Booth moved over to where Brennan was standing and kissed her. "This is a big step, Bones, but we're ready for this. If we can close on the house in the next few weeks, I can start packing up my stuff and your stuff. If we box up everything, we can get the movers to move us in in one day. Once everything is loaded into the house, we can take our time setting up the rooms, although we need to set up our bedroom and the kitchen and one of the bathrooms right away."

"Agreed." Brennan felt a sense of excitement. Her partner was recovering from his surgery, they were buying a house and they were becoming quite domestic. She had never dreamed that she would ever find someone that she could commit to, but she had found that someone and they were a family. A real family.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"We've found a house to buy . . . Booth and I." Brennan was taking a mid-morning break with Angela at the Royal Diner. "It's a nice house and will suit our needs."

Happy for her friend. Angela grinned, reached out and patted Brennan's hand. "Oh Sweety, that sounds great. Booth is doing well, you're working together and now your moving into a house. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you." Brennan had never felt happier. "Sometimes it feels odd that Booth and I are in relationship, but at the same time it feels right. He . . . He loves me and I love him. I've never felt that way about anyone before, Angela. He's my family now. If Max abandons me again then it won't really matter. Booth is my family and Russ . . . He lives in North Carolina, but I know he won't run away again. He loves Amy and the girls too much to destroy what he has. He has a family that he adores just like I do. We don't really need Max."

"Oh Honey. Don't give up on Max." Angela wasn't sure why Brennan couldn't accept that her father was back in her life. Perhaps she had been alone for so long that it was hard for her see that Max loved her and wanted to be in her life. "I don't think he'll ever abandon you again. He loves you. He doesn't have a reason to run away again."

Brennan wasn't sure about that. "That we know of." Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan sighed. "If he stays then that's fine. If he doesn't then that's fine too. He's been out of my life for fifteen years . . . I'm used to it."

Angela was aware that Max had disappeared a week after Booth had been operated on and the conman wasn't aware of what had been going on in his daughter's life since then. She didn't know what Max was up to, but she hoped the man showed up soon. If he didn't then that was his problem, but it was a big mistake that he might not be able to recover from. "Well, don't give up yet. So tell me about your new house . . ."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	55. Chapter 55

(A Night at the Bones Museum)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It's the only way I can tell if anyone is interested in it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Brennan had closed on the new house and after packing up their possessions, the movers transferred their worldly goods from the two apartments to their new house. The boxes were scattered about the house, both upstairs and downstairs and their furniture had been moved into the appropriate rooms allowing Booth and Brennan to work on each room as they found free time. Their master bedroom and bath were set up as well as the kitchen, but they weren't in a rush to set up the other rooms. Brennan wanted to unpack each box and with Booth's input set up the rooms in a logical and orderly manner. Booth knew they both owned a lot of collectables and antiquities and they both needed to agree about how they wanted their things to be displayed.

They'd had numerous offers to help unpack their possessions, but after talking it over, they decided that they didn't want the help. They didn't need or want anyone's suggestions when it came to setting up their house. They just needed time and they had plenty of that.

A few days after they were moved in, Brennan heard a knock on their front door. A little exasperated, Brennan hoped whoever it was didn't plan to visit long. She and Booth were setting up the living room and they were agreeing more than disagreeing where things should go which was a pleasant surprise for both of them. Brennan didn't want to break that congenial atmosphere. Opening the door, Brennan stepped back in surprise. "Dad."

"Hey Honey." Max could see that Brennan was dressed for manual labor and couldn't help but notice the dirt smudge on the end of her nose. "I thought I'd come over and let you know I'm back in town."

She hadn't heard from her father in weeks and she had assumed he had left her for good. "I haven't heard from you for two months. I assumed you'd moved away."

"No, no, why would I do that?" Max wanted to come in, but so far his daughter hadn't invited him in. "No, I had something that I needed to take care of for a friend of mine. When I got back, I found out that you'd bought a house and here I am. I thought I'd come by and let you know that I'm back home."

"I wasn't sure where you were since you didn't bother to talk to me about your plans." Brennan wasn't sure if she was relieved that he was back or angry with her father's actions.

Slightly embarrassed, Max shrugged his shoulders. "Honey, I've been on my own for a long time. I'm not used to telling anyone where I'm going or when I'll be back. Old habits are hard to break."

Curious as to who was at the door, Booth abandoned a box of books near the bookcase and walked over to the door to see what was going on. "Max . . . want to come in?" He wasn't sure why Brennan hadn't invited her father in but standing in the doorway talking seemed rude and it was letting the cool air escape the room. "We're unpacking, so if you don't mind us working while you talk it'll be okay."

Standing aside, Brennan allowed her father access to her house. She decided to take her cue from Booth in this social setting since her first inclination was tell her father to leave and not come back. _I suppose I am angry. He disappeared a week after Booth was operated on without telling me on and now he acts like that's fine. It isn't._

As he entered the house, Max could see the chaos in the living room and knew he would have to go through the same process soon. He was moving to another apartment in the area. He had decided that he needed to downsize and the small two bedroom apartment he'd found was just what he had been looking for. He still had some packing to do, but he thought he could be in his new place in a week. He'd have a lot of boxes to unload before the new apartment was livable, but his little trip out of town had been unavoidable and he could live with the delay. "Nice room." Max admired the fireplace and knew that could be a cozy set up on a cold winter day.

Moving back over to the box of books, Booth continued to unload them onto the bookshelves. His back towards his partner and her father, Booth listened to them talk. He didn't want to interfere with their reunion unless he had to, but he knew that Brennan was hurt that her father had just left without telling her. He hoped Max understood that he was now on Brennan's shit list.

Her box of antiquities waiting for her, Brennan moved over to the set of bookshelves on the other side of the fireplace and tried to organize her pieces in a logical manner. "I assumed that since you were now free from legal entanglements you would prefer to return to the life you're used to."

Max may not be the genius his daughter was, but he could put clues together rather rapidly. "No Honey, of course not. I'm retired. I'm never going back into my old business again. I want to be in your life again and I can't do that if I'm bending the law . . . No, my plan all along was to move back here if I was found not guilty during the trial and live a quiet life. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about my little trip. I promise to keep you up to date from now on when it comes to me going somewhere . . . I didn't mean to worry you."

"You didn't worry me." Brennan wasn't sure she trusted her father and she planned to be careful about how close she let herself get towards him. She didn't want to become too close only to have him abandon her again someday. "Would you like to tell me where you went and why?"

Aware that he was being tested, Max walked over the couch and sat down. "A friend of mine just got out of jail. He got out four days after Booth's operation. He was given parole because he was dying . . . pancreatic cancer. Anyway, Booth had come through the surgery okay and I waited until he was awake and the doctor said they'd got all the tumor. Buddy needed me more than Booth did. Booth has you and his grandfather and Cam, but Buddy didn't have anyone. His wife died of a heart attack while Buddy was in prison and their daughter . . . well, I don't know where she is. She took off after her mother died and Buddy hasn't heard from her since . . . I drove out to Illinois and got him into a hospice program. The doctors weren't sure how long he was going to live and I didn't want him to die alone."

As he listened to Max talk, Booth became aware that Brennan had stopped unpacking and was just standing next to the boxes staring at her father.

"So, I visited with Buddy everyday and we talked about the old days. He knew your mother and we remembered some of the stuff we did together . . . It took Buddy three weeks to die. I had to arrange to have a funeral for him and he had some business I needed to take care of for him. I tried to track down Claudia to tell her that her father had died, but that was a waste or time. I have someone looking into it for me. I think I'll get in touch with her sooner or later. I have a bequest from her father that I need to give her . . . So, that's where I've been, nothing exciting or illegal, just a duty to an old friend."

"I see.' And Brennan did understand. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Glad that Brennan was accepting what he was telling her, Max gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, thanks. Buddy wasn't a well-liked guy. He was a pill most of the time, but he was a loyal friend and your mother really liked him. She claimed that he was a funny guy. I guess he was if you liked puns and corny jokes . . . I took care of Buddy because that was what your mother would have wanted me to do . . . so anyway, I'm back and just to let you know, I'm moving to another apartment in a week for two. The one I have is too expensive and too big for one guy to be living in. I found a nice place over near Front Royal. It's got a small town feel to it, but not too far from here."

The box now empty, Booth flattened it and placed it on a small pile near the window. "If you need help moving, let me know."

"Thanks Booth. I may take you up on that offer." Max appreciated Booth's offer. He didn't have a lot of friends in the area and he couldn't ask his cousin and her husband to help him move since that relationship was still a secret.

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Being as cautious as ever, Max arranged to meet his cousin's husband at his favorite Denny's restaurant. "Have you been able to track down Buddy's daughter, Claudia?""

"Sure have." Carl poured some sugar in his coffee and stirred the hot liquid. "You know she might not want her inheritance from her father. What will you do with the money if that happens? You could always save it for Russ and Tempe."

"No, no that wouldn't be right." Leaning back so their server could place his plate in front of him, Max waited until they were alone again. "Buddy wanted that money to go to his kid. If she doesn't want it, I have a plan. You remember Claudia has a daughter? She lives with Buddy's sister, Belle. Well, Naomi is going to go to college soon and I think I can make sure she gets the money. I'll just set up a scholarship fund and make sure her education is paid for. Buddy used to write letters to Naomi and the girl wrote back. She liked her grandfather even if her mother didn't . . . I think Buddy said she wants to get a degree in pharmacology."

Curious, Carl leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Did you have any problems finding Buddy's treasure?"

Cutting up his hamburger steak, Max paused to answer. "No, the map was pretty accurate. I fond the box of gold coins where he said it was . . . You know he stole those in 1969 when gold was $43 an ounce. Gold is over a thousand dollars and ounce right now."

"You know I should make you turn those coins over to the FBI, but well, he did steal them from that piece of shit Brad Menard. Menard shouldn't have trusted Buddy, but it's not like Menard could use the money on death row." Carl had been a good FBI Agent in his time, but his connections with Max and Buddy put him in awkward situations sometimes. He, Max and Buddy had no idea where Menard had got the gold coins, but they both assumed that he'd killed someone for them. Life hadn't meant too much to a man like Menard. If he wanted something, he usually took it from someone's dead body. Carl had been proud of himself the day he'd tracked down and arrested Menard for the murder of a Columbus bank teller. "The money will be put to good use. Maybe Naomi will come up with the cure for Alzheimer's. That would be pretty cool."

"Yeah." Max chewed on his piece of hamburger and thought about his relationship with his own daughter. "Buddy and Claudia never agreed about anything and she blamed her father for not being around when her mother needed him. I plan to make sure I'm in Tempe and Russ' life from now on. They need a father . . . well I need to be their father and I'm going to give it my best shot. Thanks for helping with Claudia and Naomi. All of the old gang is gone now accept for me. I guess you don't have to worry about any of us anymore. Buddy never blamed you for arresting him. He knew he should have left that Savings and Loan alone, but he had to do things his way. I told him that you were looking for him and that you were going to arrest him if you found him, but he just laughed . . . Yeah, he should have taken his family and traveled out west, but . . . well that's in the past. He served his time and he's gone."

He'd tried to warn off Buddy at the time. He'd begged the man to leave his life of crime, but Buddy had refused to listen to him and he'd shot a bank customer during his last robbery. Thankfully the customer hadn't died. "I could overlook robbing a bank or two, but when he shot that customer, he crossed a line. There was no way I could let him walk away from that even if he was my father's cousin."

"You know you're the only one in your family that wasn't on the wrong side of the law." Max shook his head and chuckled. "I've always been proud of you Carl. You're a good man."

Amused, Carl laughed. "My wife would have beat the shit out of me if I'd crossed that line. She hated being part of your family and she wasn't too crazy about my family either. I don't know how we managed to keep out of most of the family business, but we did . . . my kids are good kids and they have no idea about our family history. Sally has made sure about that . . . You know she was glad you were found not guilty at the trial. She always thought you were pretty decent for a Kennan."

"Gee thanks." Max knew that his cousin Sally had never trusted him and was glad when he and Christine had disappeared. "If I'd had my head on straight, I would have found a way to ask you to take care of Tempe when Christine and I ran, but we were afraid to contact Russ or Tempe because we knew Kirby and his people were looking for me. We couldn't risk our kids lives and we couldn't risk you and Sally . . . I can't change the past, but I can make sure I don't screw up the future."

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	56. Chapter 56

(The Dwarf in the Dirt)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

He was nervous, there was no getting around that. Booth had to recertify as a marksman and at this point he wasn't sure if he was going to make it. He'd finished therapy for his right hand and he'd been at the gun range every day, but he was still mediocre at best. He wasn't the marksman he was before the brain surgery and he was worried about what would happen when the FBI realized that he was no longer someone they could count on as a sniper.

"Booth, I know you're worried about your test later this week, but you said you can pass it, just not as a marksman. I don't see how not being a sniper will affect your job. Your job as Supervisory Special Agent doesn't require that kind of skill level with a weapon."

With as much patience as he could muster, Booth tried to explain his position. "I've always been a highly skilled sniper. It's what I'm known for and when the FBI needs someone like me they need to know I'm ready. I'm the best . . . I was the best and now I'm not anymore. My brain tumor has changed me in ways I wasn't prepared for."

"Booth you just need to practice." She knew he was worried, but he was badly misinformed about why he was shooting so poorly. "Aiming a firearm involves your cerebellum and occipital lobe while your brain tumor was temporoparietal. The tumor removal has nothing to do with your poor shooting."

Desperate to believe her, Booth nodded his head. "Okay, but I've been practicing. I've been practicing every day. I have until the end of the week to improve, if not I'm going to lose my sniper rating. If I lose that I also lose my 25 percent bonus pay. If I'm not available I lose that money and I've been placing that money into a college fund for Parker for years. I don't want to give that up."

"I understand." And she did. Booth had been born in a working poor household and the extra income was important to him. "Perhaps you should talk to Sweets about it."

Booth stood up and started to pace back and forth in front of the couch. "I can't. He works for the FBI and he would have to report to them anything that I tell him about my shooting ability or anything about my brain damage. He's not on my side when it comes to this stuff. He can't be."

Not sure what else Booth could do, Brennan stood up and stood in his path. "Perhaps you could talk to Gordon Wyatt. He is no longer practicing psychiatry, but you trust his judgement. Perhaps he can talk to you about your problem, although I still think you just need to practice more."

"Yeah, maybe." He wasn't sure how much more he could practice though. "He opened his restaurant in Columbia Heights. We couldn't get a reservation there if our lives counted on it, but I might be able to get him to talk to me when he's not working."

"I'm sure I could get a reservation if I wanted one. I am a best selling author." Brennan had found that being a well known novelist had opened a lot of doors for her that she had never imagined and she liked it.

Amused, Booth kissed her. "Yes you are." He loved how proud she was about her notoriety and at the same time complained if anyone bothered her while she was in public trying to live her very private life. There was no solution to that problem. She just took the good parts and tried to live with the annoying bad parts.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Gordon had been surprised to hear from Booth, but the Agent had always fascinated him and he couldn't resist talking to him.

"Look, I've gone through some changes since my operation. I didn't know about them until I found a list that Bones was keeping . . . she kept a list of what was wrong with me." Booth shook his head. "I can live with the changes. I've changed back some of the stuff like wearing my crazy socks. No big deal and I like loud ties I guess. Those changes aren't really anything, but and this is a big but, I'm a lousy shot. I have to recertify at the end of the week."

Patiently, Gordon leaned forward on his chair and stared at the agent for a moment before responding. "I don't know what you expect me to do about it. The only time I've ever fired a weapon, it reared up and struck me on the forehead."

A little agitated, Booth tried to keep calm. "I just need you to help me fire my gun."

"That sounds desperately phallic, to me." Gordon frowned and noticed Booth flinch. "Is this maybe a sexual problem?"

"What, no . . . no way. Bones and I are fine in the bedroom department." Annoyed Booth leaned back against his chair. "Why does everything have to be about sex with you guys?"

Amused, Gordon smiled. "Because it usually is."

Now he was just annoyed. "It's not about that. It has to be something else."

"Why haven't you gone to see the estimable Dr. Sweets for his help."

"Because he works for the FBI." Booth wasn't sure if Gordon was taking him seriously or not. "Help me out. Come on. Maybe you have a pill I can take."

A knock on his office door and Gordon knew that his break was over. "I really have to get back to my kitchen . . . I'll tell you what. I'll go out with you on your latest case, study you and see if I can pinpoint the problem."

It wasn't what he was looking for, but it was better than nothing. "Alright, I guess it's okay."

"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming, but that's alright." Gordon wanted to see how Booth reacted with his partner and his co-workers. "I will follow you on your case and I will solve your problem."

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While they worked the case, Gordon observed how Booth reacted towards his partner. He seemed to be less argumentative than he used to be. The more subdued Booth seemed to be cautious about how he dealt with Brennan and Gordon wondered why. Clearly, he was protective of her as he'd always had been, but when no one was looking, the Agent appeared to stare at his partner with a look of sadness.

He knew that they had recently moved in together and there didn't seem to be any problems with that. Booth had assured him he wasn't having any sexual problems, but considering the man was very conservative when it came to how he presented himself, Gordon didn't know if Booth was being truthful towards him.

Brennan on the other hand seemed to be her usual self. She was in the thick of the investigation and kept Booth up-to-date about any clues or information that was corroborated by the Lab. She wasn't treating her partner like an invalid and if she disagreed with him, she was quick to tell him. On one occasion, she brought up a previous case that Booth had seemed to have forgot about. Booth had admitted that he didn't know what she was talking about and she had filled him in. They both had talked about it for a few minutes and then moved on. Gordon had been impressed with how that situation was handled and felt that Booth's situation wasn't as dire as he made it seem.

As far as he could tell, Booth's biggest worry was about his ability to shoot and Brennan seemed to think that worry was overblown. As ever, he found the partners to be utterly fascinating.

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The last four days had crept by and Booth knew that tomorrow was the big day. He had to go to the gun range and recertify and he was still shooting well below his previous level. He wondered what would happen once his boss got the results. It was true that he didn't need to be a sniper to do his job, he just had to be able to use his gun well enough to protect himself and Brennan. It was just that the changes in him made him feel that the old Booth was gone and he didn't recognize the new Booth. Brennan had assured him that the changes were superficial, but were they really? What made someone . . . them? If they didn't behave like the old them, didn't that mean that they weren't who they used to be? Sometimes he felt like he was doing okay and other times he felt lost.

He knew that being a sniper shouldn't matter, but it did. He was the best in the country. He was amongst a select few specialists and if he was no on longer part of that group did it make him less? His ability to shoot had always been superior. The Army had recognized his abilities right away and those special skills had eventually placed him with the elite of the Army. He was proud to be in such a small circle of specialists and if his ability to shoot was gone then he would no longer be part of that small band of brothers.

"I think you should invite Dr. Brennan to watch you shoot." Gordon was certain he knew what Booth's problem was. The agent was afraid of the changes in him. His confidence was almost gone. If there was one thing that Gordon knew it was that Booth had always strived to be his best when he was around Brennan and if he shot his gun with her around, he would not fail to do his best. No matter how much confidence he had lost, he had not lost his love for Brennan and his need to be the best around her.

"What good would that do?" Booth didn't understand. This was between him and his brain. His tumor had screwed up his life and having Brennan there to watch his humiliation would just be too much.

Gordon knew that it was imperative that Booth shoot in front of Brennan. "I promise you, Booth that you will not fail in front of Dr. Brennan. I guarantee it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth finally nodded his head. "Why not? What happens to me affects her too."

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To say that Booth was shocked would be an understatement. With his gun in his hand, with Brennan standing behind him and to the side, he had shot at each target and he hadn't missed. Each shot was the shot of a marksman. His skills were there to prove to everyone that Seeley Booth was back. He didn't know where the old Booth had been and if he could have he would have kicked his ass for scaring him, but it was done. He passed his recertification and he would continue to be listed on the books as a sniper. His bonus was safe and so was his pride.

"I told you just needed to practice." Satisfied for the moment, Brennan lay next to Booth and tried to catch her breath. Her partner's rapid breathing told her that he was still recovering from a rather physical round of sex.

As soon as he had passed the test, he had talked Brennan into going home for an afternoon of delight. His breath slowly returning to normal, Booth rolled onto his side and placed his hand on Brennan's bare stomach. "Maybe you were right. I don't know why, but the test started and it just seemed like everything fell into place. Every shot was easy and I didn't feel rushed or like I had anything to prove. I just . . . I was just back."

She placed her hand over Booth's hand and smiled. "I know you've been worried about the changes in you, Booth. I told you that the changes didn't mean anything and they didn't. I knew that with practice you would get your skills back and you did."

Sliding his hand slowly towards one of her breasts, Booth stared at his partner and knew that Gordon had been right. He would never fail in front of Brennan. She only worked with the best and he was the best. He would always be the best for her.

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	57. Chapter 57

(The Goop on the Girl)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The last few weeks had been fairly uneventful. The holidays were approaching and Max was trying to find a way to connect with his daughter. He had finally contacted his niece by marriage and asked her to come to Washington D.C. for the holidays. He was in contact with one of his late wife's sisters and two of her daughters. He had started talking to them on MySpace right after his trial. He had wanted to talk to them about Christine and to let them know that she was buried in the District. His sister-in-law had appreciated that Max had told her and promised to come visit Christine's grave when life slowed down a little.

Margaret Whitesell, his niece had kept in contact with him ever since their first conversation and Max enjoyed her obsession with Benjamin Franklin. He'd never met someone that knew so much about a historical figure and he found the woman to be interesting. She certainly had a saying for every occasion no matter what topic was being discussed.

"Honey, your cousin Margaret is coming down from Minnesota for the holidays." Max had arranged to have lunch with his daughter and had been surprised when she had brought up the holidays. She knew that Temperance was an atheist, so an invitation to her house for Christmas dinner was surprising. "Can she come to the dinner too?"

"Of course, it hardly seems fair to have you come to dinner and Margaret stay at your apartment." She didn't really know Margaret, but Max seemed fond of her. "Booth and I have planned out the menu. He will be cooking the Turkey and I will be cooking a tofu turkey. He is going to bake Christmas themed cookies while I will be in charge of pie. If there is a particular food item that you would like to see on the table, let me know. I can add it to our list."

Christmas dinner looked like it was going to be extravagant. "Are you inviting anyone else to dinner?" He hoped not, but he didn't have a say of course and he was going to participate even if a small army had been invited.

"Yes, Cam, Angela, Hodgins, Sweets, Daisy and Hank have been invited to come. All have accepted their invitation." Brennan hadn't really wanted to invite any of her interns, but she knew that Sweets was dating Daisy and it would be rude to invite Sweets and not his girlfriend. At least, that is what Booth had told her. "Hank is going to stay with us for four days. We have the guest bedroom downstairs and Booth has placed some safety bars in the room on the wall near the hall doorway and inside the downstairs bathroom. He's also put up some railing on the staircase going down to the basement. Booth believes in safety."

"I guess he does." Amused, Max chose to keep his face solemn. He didn't want Temperance to think he was mocking Booth. "Does he still plan to put up the wall in the basement to separate the laundry room from the rest of the room? If he does, he should let me help. I can install a half bath down there if you guys want one. I still have my plumbing license."

His offer a considerate one, Brennan nodded her head. "I will ask, Booth. I suppose a toilet and sink in the basement would be convenient. Booth wants to make part of the basement a recreational room."

"I'll check with him while I'm at your place on Christmas." Wanting to be helpful, Max hoped that his daughter would see that she could count on him. He just wanted to be her father and he hoped that would happen someday.

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All he did was answer a call. That's what the Santa Claus said and then he blew up. Thrown backwards by the explosion, Booth landed on his back and tried to keep his head from hitting the pavement. He was partially successful. His head did hit but not has hard as it could have. Feeling woozy, he staggered to his feet and stared at the horror in front of him. The man who had run out of the bank in the Santa suit had blown up and his body parts were everywhere. The bag of money he had been carrying had been blown up too and there was torn and burning money floating on the air and rolling around in the street. The brisk wind making the mess worse.

Leaning against his SUV, Booth tried to clear the ringing from his ears and didn't move until Cam and Brennan were standing in front of him.

"Booth . . . Booth are you alright?" Brennan immediately moved to stand next to her partner and placed her hand on the back of his head. From there she moved her fingers to see if the area where Booth had been operated on had been damaged. That portion of his skull was weaker than the rest and a direct blow to that portion of his skull could be fatal. Thankfully she felt a small bump on the back of his head and the weaker plate in his head was alright.

Sick with worry, Cam watched as Brennan examined her friend's skull. "Did you hit your head when you fell? Are you dizzy? Are you nauseous?"

Annoyed more than anything, Booth moved away from Brennan's probing fingers. "I'm fine. I haven't heard anything for a few minutes, but the explosion was loud." Moving his hands down his jacket, he felt something wet and stared at his hands. "Damn it!"

Brennan's reaction was to grab Booth's hand and stare at the blood. "Booth?"

"It's not mine, Bones." Booth sighed. "This suit isn't that old too. Shit!" The hazards of working in law enforcement could be seen in the clothes he'd had to throw away in the past. Blood was hard to get out of suits. "Look, I'm okay. I have an investigation to handle."

Standing nearby, Agent Harris called out to his supervisor. "It's under control, Booth. If you need to go to the hospital then go ahead."

"He needs to go the Lab. He's covered in evidence." Brennan turned and walked over towards the cab where a passenger and the taxi driver were. The man was on the ground, hurt in the explosion and the woman was also covered in evidence. "She'll have to come with us too. I'll send an intern to the hospital to collect evidence from the taxi driver."

Disgusted, Booth turned towards Harris and gave him a list of actions he expected from his agent. He hated to leave the crime scene, but he knew he could count on Harris to do everything according to procedure.

Oooooooooooooooooo

To make sure Booth had some privacy, Brennan removed his clothes in a closed examination room and bagged the evidence as the items were removed from his body. Making him sit down, she used tweezers and removed bits of dried flesh that belonged to the bank robber from Booth's hair. He protested while she worked, but she chose to ignore him.

"Come on, Bones, watch the hair. You're pulling out hair." Irritated, Booth wanted Brennan to stop what she was doing. "You've got enough evidence."

"No, I do not, Booth." She wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything and she wasn't going to let her boyfriend stop her. "You know that all evidence must be collected on the off chance that some of it might be vital to a case."

Folding his arms against his bare chest, Booth stared at the opposite wall and squirmed when she pulled a hair with the evidence. "I need you to get my gym bag from my SUV when you're done. I have some workout clothes in there. You can keep the suit and shirt. I don't want them back."

"When I am done, I will do as you ask. You will need to go home and bathe thoroughly." Brennan knew she had to mention it even if it made Booth uncomfortable. "Cam is testing the victim's remains for HIV and any other blood born diseases. We need to make sure you haven't been exposed to anything dangerous."

"Shit!" Worried, Booth glared at the far wall. "This isn't my year . . . but I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm alive . . . covered in someone's body parts, but alive."

She had been terrified when she had been told that Booth had been involved in an explosion. Agent Harris had called her and Cam as soon as he had arrived on the scene at the bank and saw that Booth was dazed and didn't seem to hear him. The Jeffersonian wasn't too far from the bank and Cam had broken several traffic laws getting to the crime scene. While they were on the way, Brennan had talked to Cam about the possibility of Booth's skull being damaged. The weak spot in his skull worried her and she was relieved to find that he had not landed on the street hitting that portion of the skull on the concrete pavement. "You were lucky that you escaped serious injury."

"Yeah, but I'm okay." He knew that Brennan had been worried about him, but he was alright. "Just shook up and the ringing in my ears have stopped . . . I'm sorry that I scared you. I had no idea that guy had a bomb on him until he opened up his jacket and then he blew up. I was a sitting duck."

"Yes." Finished, Brennan walked back around her partner and smiled at him. "I'm done. I will go get your clothes . . . It was very interesting removing your clothes under these circumstances. I wouldn't say it was was erotic since you were covered in someone's blood and remains, but it might be interesting to do this sometime at home under better circumstances."

Surprised, Booth smiled at Brennan. "Oh yeah?" He'd never thought about it, but it might be interesting under the right circumstances. "Maybe we can take turns collecting evidence."

"Yes, maybe we can."

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The case was a sad one. The victim had been blackmailed to rob the bank when he'd been forced to wear a radio controlled bomb belt. A radio personality had set off the bomb by accident when he'd started his broadcast killing the exterminator.

The victim, Holden Chevaleer had been called out to do an extermination job and was kidnapped to do a bank robbery. He had just answered a call and died. His mother had to bury him on Christmas Eve and Booth, Brennan, Cam, Hodgins and Angela had attended the funeral. Brennan hated the idea of Abby Chevaleer burying her son by herself. It made Brennan sad and Booth agreed that it would be cruel to make Abby go through that alone.

The next day, Booth and Brennan received guests in their home for their Christmas dinner. Her cousin Margret had arrived with Max and Booth couldn't get over how much Brennan and Margaret looked alike. "You two could be sisters." Brennan didn't agree and let Booth know that. Amused, Booth let it go. How Brennan, a world renowned forensic anthropologist couldn't see the resemblance was beyond him. On the other hand, knowing Brennan's trust issues, he assumed she didn't want to become attached to her cousin.

Max was thrilled to be part of his daughter's dinner party and he had brought presents for his daughter, her boyfriend and Margret and stuck them under the Christmas tree. He made himself useful by helping Brennan place filled dishes on the table and making sure the wine was opened and waiting to be served.

Glad for the break from work, Cam had toured Booth and Brennan's home along with Angela and Hodgins and found it rather interesting. Somehow, Booth and Brennan had set up the display of their possessions and the collectables and the antiquities didn't seem to clash. She liked the collection of books and was amused that Booth's taste in mystery novels seemed to dominate his book collection while Brennan had a lot of historical novels as well as a lot of reference books.

Hank sat quietly in the living room, sipping from a bottle of beer and talked to anyone that came into the room. Currently he lived alone and he had a few friends, but they were closer to his age. It was refreshing to be around younger people and he chatted with anyone that was willing to sit down and talk to him. He liked his grandson's friends and found them to be a quirky lot. He found Margaret to be very odd and decided that quoting Benjamin Franklin all of the time was rather annoying. He didn't know why she was doing that, but he didn't think it would hurt to talk to her about it. "You know, sometimes it's good to give your own opinion and not from someone whose been dead for 200 years. Things have changed since the 1700's. I'm sure old Ben didn't have an opinion about social media or television shows."

"Thank you. No one has ever said they wanted to hear my opinion." Margaret had been raised in a house filled with very opinionated people and she was rarely asked her opinion by her mother or older sister.

"Well, even if no one asks, it doesn't hurt to just say something." Hank felt sad for Margaret. She was a quiet woman and didn't seem to have a lot in confidence in herself. "Tell you what, I have an email address. I'll give it to you and you can talk to me when you want to. I'm not very good at using social media, but I can use email." Jared had shown him how to use it and had set up an account for him. He was proud that he was up to date with at least some modern things. He tried not to let technology intimidate him.

"Thank you." Margaret was pleased that she had made a new friend.

Brennan was pleased that her dinner seemed a success. Booth carved the turkey which everyone that ate it said was delicious. Daisy had eaten some of the tofu turkey and everyone enjoyed the food and the company. Watching Booth as he talked to Cam, Brennan felt a sense of peace. She hadn't had a family since she was fifteen years old and things had drastically changed since Booth had been shot by Pam Noonan. She was in a relationship with her partner whom she loved and she felt less lonely than she had in the past. Booth made her happy and she hoped she made him happy.

The party had been a great idea and Booth enjoyed himself. He hadn't realized just how much his life had changed until now. Brennan had given him something that he had always wanted. Someone that loved him and was willing to be part of his family. He loved her so much and he hoped that he would get to live with her for a very long time. Life was good. Life was very good.

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	58. Chapter 58

(The X in the File)

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I really don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

They weren't called out to states past the Mississippi River too often, but Brennan couldn't resist this case. A Sheriff had reported a body find that to him was just a little perplexing or perhaps deeply disturbing would be a better phrase if he wanted to be absolutely honest about it. Someone had reported that they had found an alien body in the desert to the Sheriff's office and of course Sheriff Jerry Bonds had assumed that the caller had meant an illegal alien from Honduras or maybe Costa Rica, but an alien from outer space? Okay that was something different and he needed help. There was no way he was going to handle this situation alone.

Seeley Booth had agreed to come with Brennan for the simple reason that if it really was a real space alien, he wanted to see it. Maybe get a picture for his son. He had a tendency to vacillate between believing and not believing in little green men, but he was open to the possibility. He tried to keep an open mind about stuff like that.

Much to his disappointment the alien turned out to be a human woman or at least that was what Brennan thought. The reason why the body looked so alienish was because the victim had been wearing a silver coat and her body fat turned to adipocere. Reluctantly he decided to trust Brennan until she was proven to be wrong which wasn't likely.

The Sheriff on the other hand believed Brennan was correct but refused to allow the body to be sent back to the Lab. He knew that he would be accused of a cover up by the space nuts as well as the locals and he wasn't going through that again. His area of the state was known for UFO activity and there was a lot of pressure on him to handle strange deaths carefully. After all, he did want to get reelected. Being a practical man, he offered the forensic anthropologist the use of hospital equipment in a hospital that was partially shutdown and she could send anything she wanted back east to the Lab except body parts.

Brennan took advantage of the available MRI equipment to take a look inside the body. Much to her and Booth's discomfort, they witnessed the body move while the MRI was turned on. Brennan screamed, Booth overreacted and pulled his gun which flew from his hand and attached itself to the machine.

The culprit? There were ball bearings in the head of the victim.

Embarrassed they both agreed that the incident never needed to be mentioned to anyone.

Oooooooooooooo

After a thorough investigation it was proved that the victim, Ursula Lapine had stumbled upon toxic waste being dumped in the desert. The owner of the company Rachel Adams had tried to bribe her and get the video Ursula had taken of the incident, but Ursula wasn't willing to give it up because she thought she had footage of a UFO. The owner of the diner where Ursula and Rachel met had overheard the meeting and the attempted bribe and tried to take advantage of the situation. Blaine Miller told Ursula she could get millions of dollars not the thousands that Rachel had offered. Blaine arranged to meet Ursula in the desert and that's when he killed her for the video. Blaine had used a toy gun that shot ball bearings to kill Ursula but he hadn't got the prize he was looking for. Unfortunately for him, Ursula had hidden the video by attaching the video to some dental floss and swallowed it. Brennan had found it when she did an autopsy of the victim and Angela was able to coax some viable footage from the damaged drive. Case closed.

Booth didn't know why he wanted to sit out in the desert with Brennan, but their plane wasn't leaving until the morning and they had plenty of time to get to the airport. Lying on the hood of the SUV, looking up at the starry sky, Booth pointed up and smiled. "That's the little dipper and the big dipper. Pops showed them to me when I was a boy. We used to go out to the football field at the high school with a telescope and look at the sky. Jared and I thought it was kind of cool."

Surprised, Brennan turned her head and stared at her partner. "I had the same experience before my parents abandoned me. My father owned a telescope and he and I would drive out into the country to make sure we weren't assaulted with light pollution. We'd look at the sky and consult a book my father had on stars. It was fun and I enjoyed the experience."

Grasping Brennan's hand, Booth smiled at her in return. "It would be cool if there really were space aliens."

Not willing to take Booth seriously, Brennan frowned. "It's ridiculous to think that there's anything on this planet worth seeing which merits crossing what are literally astronomical distances."

For a moment, Booth struggled to come up with a reply and he found one that he thought Brennan might accept. "Maybe aliens are anthropologists. Maybe they just want to study our religion and sex and love and our languages. Maybe they want to see how we handle wars and peace and maybe they're interested in seeing how we handle crime. I mean the FBI is pretty cool and they could learn a lot from you and me about solving cases." He was proud of being in the FBI and he wouldn't mind passing along his expertise if he was asked.

Thoughtfully, Brennan sat up and stared down at Booth. "That is an interesting possibility. I hadn't considered that. Of course, they might not like what they see. Humans are violent. We have had many wars in the past and millions have died because of these wars."

"But we also like peace, Bones." He hated to think that aliens would judge them because of the awful stuff done when there was a lot of good stuff too. "We have artists that make our world nicer to live in. We have families and we try to raise our kids to be decent human beings. Some of us fail, but I think a lot more of us don't. Some of us try to make the world a better place to make up for the ones who don't. I'd say we're a mixed bag and I bet any aliens that exist out there would be too. No one is perfect no matter how smart they are or how superior their technology is. I'd want them to judge us all not just the worst."

"Like most good anthropologists do." Brennan tried to keep her emotions out of the situation when she studied different societies. "We observe and we learn."

Sitting up, Booth leaned over and kissed Brennan. "Thank you."

Confused, Brennan leaned back and stared at her mate. "For what?"

"For taking care of me after I had the tumor and being patient when you found out I was different." Booth sighed. "I was worried that I wasn't me anymore, but you and Pops talked to me and made me realize that wasn't true . . . Yeah some things changed, but not the serious stuff . . . I needed you to back me up and you did and I'm thanking you for that. You need to hear that. You need to know that I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

A sudden noise in the distance caught their attention.

"Well, unless the aliens come down and take me and you can't blame me for that."

Amused, Brennan laughed, placed her hand on Booth's chest and leaned down forcing him to lie back down on the hood. "If that were to happen, I would never blame you, Booth. I promise." Leaning over him, she kissed him. They were alone, the sky was clear and beautiful and she wanted to show her mate that she truly did love him.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

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	59. Chapter 59

(The Proof in the Pudding)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

When his girlfriend didn't make it home that evening, Booth tried to call her and found out that she, Angela, Cam, Hodgins and Sweets were being held at the Lab against their wishes. Brennan didn't know who her captors were, but they claimed to be with the General Services Administration. "I hardly think this is true, Booth. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. government offices. They also provide transportation . . ."

 _I know what the GSA is, Bones. I don't think you're in any danger, but I'll look into this and get back to you._

Booth was on the way to the Lab when his phone rang. Answering it he heard a frightened voice.

 _I'm at the Lab. A bunch of government guys came in and sealed up the place. They brought in a body and they won't let anyone come or leave._

"I know, Sweets. Bones called me and told me." Parking on the street outside the Jeffersonian, Booth left his SUV and locked it. "She didn't tell me about the body, but she was more worried about someone from the GSA holding her against her will. I'm checking it out now." Ending the call, Booth walked up into the parking garage and was stopped by three armed men dressed in black suits.

"So, any of you guys like hockey? No? Ah, knitting? Modern dance? Ultimate Fighting?" Their silence wasn't unexpected, but Booth was just having a little fun until their boss showed up. "Saw a flicker from you pal." Booth stared at one of the GSA men and smirked. "I got you pegged." Before he could come up with further insults, a man approached dressed the same way as his men. "It's the chief." Booth held out his ID and waited for a response. "I showed you mine. Want to show me yours?"

Confidently, the man in charge folded his hands in front of his waist and with a slight smile on his lips, responded, forgoing showing his ID. "You can call me Mr. White."

Pretty sure he was being lied to Booth placed his ID back in his jacket pocket. "Right . . . From the General Services Administration." He didn't get a reaction which told him that Brennan and Sweets' phone calls were being monitored. "So, why'd you lock up my people?"

"That information's classified." White decided that Booth might have a tough reputation, but he was being docile at the moment which was good for everyone. "They're not actually your people."

"Dr. Brennan and I are in a relationship, so you got that one wrong, Sport." Calmly, Booth looked at the other men nearby then back at the boss. "I want inside."

Amused, White smirked before answering. "That isn't going to happen. Do you need help getting home?"

He heard the threat and decided that it was time to go. Not because he was afraid, but because he needed to get inside the Lab and standing in the parking garage wasn't going to accomplish anything. First, he would go home, change clothes and come back ready for action. No one was going to keep him away from Brennan and that was a fact.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had several options at hand, but he decided boldness was his best bet. Entering the Lab through a common entrance to the museum, Booth walked boldly down the corridor, faced the entrance to the Lab and fired his gun at the bottom of the door. The glass shattered into thousands of pieces and with a smirk on his face, Booth walked through the door and held his hands up, his gun hanging from two fingers.

The GSA men over-reacted, rushed Booth knocking him to the floor. Stunned, Booth lay on the floor trying to clear the cobwebs in his mind. Concerned, the GSA men realized that they might have hurt the agent which hadn't been their intention and pulled him to his feet. Since the agent was swaying, they half carried him to a chair in a nearby unoccupied office and waited for their supervisor to show up. In the meantime, Brennan and the rest of her co-workers stopped working on the body that Mr. White insisted they work on and demanded to see Booth. Brushing past them, White entered the office and stared in disgust at Booth. "You were told to leave."

His mind a little clearer, Booth held his hand against the back of his head and smiled. "I did . . . you didn't think you were really going to keep me away from my partner, did you?"

Mr. White had thought Booth's consent to leave earlier had been a little too timid for a man of his reputation and he had been right. "Well, you're here and now you're staying. You can't leave until their done with their assignment."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere, Sport." Booth was where he wanted to be and that was fine with him. He had made his point and White knew it.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Worried about her mate, Brennan rushed into the office to check on Booth ignoring White's demand for her to get back to work. Cam, Angela, Hodgins and Sweets took their cue from Brennan and entered the office under the baleful look of the GSA supervisor.

"Are you alright, Booth." Brennan felt compelled to move her hands through his hair, checking to make sure the weakened plate in his head was still intact and not fractured.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Booth still felt a little dizzy. "I need to quit falling on my head though."

In agreement, Brennan turned towards the crowd at the door. "Dr. Sweets get some ice for Booth. You can wrap it in a towel. Both can be found in the break room. Dr. Hodgins, Angela you may return to your tasks while I talk to Booth." Once everyone was gone except for Cam and White, Brennan straightened up, moved a chair closer to where Booth was sitting and sat down. "Mr. White wishes us to examine a skeleton and determine cause of death. He is not interested in identification which means he knows who the victim is. He probably knows cause of death too, but I don't know that for certain."

After he glanced at his watch, White cleared his throat. "Dr. Brennan time is running out. I need you to do your job."

"Once I have ascertained that my partner is alright then and only then will I return to work. Your men are the cause of this delay. They didn't need to attack Booth since he was clearly not a danger." Brennan glared at the GSA agent and dared him to order her about.

"She'll do what you ask, if you'll leave her alone for the moment." Cam was growing very annoyed with Mr. White's attitude and was glad that Booth had decided to join them. She didn't trust any of the men who claimed to be with GSA. Once White stepped away, Cam moved further into the room. "There is no way that these men are with the GSA department. They haven't threatened us, but they are determined to get us to work on the skeleton."

He understood. Booth felt an odd vibe coming from White and agreed with Brennan and Cam. "I don't think they're GSA either . . . maybe Department of Homeland Security . . . the NSA . . . Not CIA. I don't know and I don't really care. I'd say go ahead and do what they want for now. As long as they aren't asking you to break the law and they don't threaten or hurt you then it should be okay. If they pull any shit, I'm here."

Sweets entered the room and handed Booth a towel folded around some ice. He was very relieved to see Booth was okay. He wasn't so sure White would allow an EMT into the Lab if one was needed. "Here, Booth. I brought some Advil too." He handed Booth the bottle of Advil and a glass of water. "Maybe you should have stayed away."

"Nah, no one locks up my people without my permission." That sounded odd, but Booth didn't really care. "Why don't you see if you can help Hodgins?"

Surprised, Sweets stared at the agent for a moment and wondered why the cooperation. "We're cooperating?"

"For now." Booth pointed at the door and waited for the psychologist to leave. "Okay, Bones . . . Cam, you work on the mystery skeleton and see what's going on. If you happen to find out who the victim is, well that's too bad for Mr. White. I don't think he understands who he's dealing with."

That seemed reasonable to both Brennan and Cam. They both decided that they were going to find out who the victim was even if it was just to spite Mr. White.

Oooooooooooooooo

After working on the skeleton most of the night, Hodgins and Cam were certain that they knew who the victim was. Brennan wasn't completely sure, but she thought their hypothesis was possible. Angela found it interesting, Sweets was fascinated and wondered what would happen to them if White knew they were working on identification and Booth was just worried that they were correct.

If the victim really was President John F. Kennedy and there had been two shooters and his experiment proved it was possible then the government had lied when it claimed that there had only been one shooter involved in the assassination. Booth trusted the government most of the time. He had to. He had done a lot of terrible things because his government had told him it was necessary. He had killed despots, mass murderers, generals responsible for genocide, war lords responsible for pogroms. He had killed these men because he had been told they were evil men and evil men must die to protect the innocent or at least the less dangerous ones.

He was a skilled sniper, one of the best and while he worked for the Army, he had killed almost 50 men. After he joined the FBI, he had killed a few more under special circumstances. He wasn't worried about the kills under FBI control, but he was worried about the kills done as a Ranger. Had his government been truthful to him? Had he been lied too? If the victim lying on the slab was JFK and he had been killed by two men then he could no longer trust anything he was told. He couldn't trust that what he had done was right and he knew he would be lost.

Both Cam and Brennan knew what Booth was thinking and they saw a man struggling for his sanity. They knew that Booth could fall down a hole he would never be able to crawl out of if they were right about the identity of the victim and neither of them wanted to turn Booth's world upside down. He was a patriot and he needed to believe in something greater than himself. It was who he was.

White had kept an eye on the Lab people and Booth during the night and he knew that they were trying to work beyond their mission specs. He had strict orders that he had to uphold and he feared that he might lose control of what was supposed to happen. He needed the identity of the victim to remain unknown and he had known that trusting these scientists was a mistake. He had warned his supervisor and he had been overruled. Now he had no choice but to the cut mission short and return to his boss with the mission incomplete. Much to his chagrin, when he tried to pull the plug, Agent Booth disabled all of the GSA men in the Lab including White and Brennan was allowed to perform one more test. It would tell her and Hodgins whether or not they were right and if they were right, it would destroy Booth. They knew that and so did Booth, but he wanted the answer as much as they did.

Using pudding, Brennan tested the weight of the bone from the victim by thickening the pudding with an agent to assure the test's efficacy. With Booth present, she dropped two bones into the pudding. One sank and one floated. "The heavy bone is healthy Booth. The one that's still floating is riddled with osteomyelitis. President Kennedy never had osteomyelitis."

Relieved, Booth pulled Brennan into his embrace, holding her against his body. "Thank you. You kept looking for me. You knew I needed to know the truth."

"I did keep looking for you and for me. I needed to know the truth too." Holding her arms around her mate, she knew that she had done what needed to be done. The fact that JFK had never been diagnosed with osteomyelitis didn't mean he didn't have it. Hodgins had told her earlier that the late President had Scarlet Fever as a child and Scarlet Fever was known to cause osteomyelitis. It was rare but it happened in approximately ever 100 cases. That fact didn't need to be conveyed to Booth and she knew that no one would mention it to the Agent. She had taken a risk doing the experiment, but it was a risk worth taking. She needed to save her mate from himself. "I'm hungry Booth. When we leave, I would like to go to the Diner for breakfast."

Moving back a step, Booth released Brennan and smiled at her. "I think we're all hungry. Let's go see if we're going to be allowed to leave or whether or not I'm going to prison."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Mr. White knew that what happened between Booth and his men would never be mentioned by anyone in a report. The fact that one man had brought down several Agents by himself was just too embarrassing for everyone involved. It might affect careers and promotions and that would never do. "No reports by anyone, Agent Booth. This night never happened."

"Fine by me." Booth watched the GSA agents leave with the skeleton and shook his head. "Assholes. I'll bet they'll never try this shit again."

Amused, Cam laughed. "At least not with us." Pointing at Hodgins, Angela and Sweets, Cam made them an offer they couldn't refuse. "Breakfast at the diner on me and no one comes back to work until Monday."

Whistling his approval, Hodgins grabbed Angela's hand and they followed Cam and Sweets out of the Lab. Left behind, Booth took Brennan's hand in his hand and squeezed it. "You and everyone else did a great job, Bones even if Mr. White didn't like the results. You guys are scientists and you need to know the truth. He didn't understand that, but I think he does now. I don't know who he was and what he was really up to, but if he was trying to find out how the guy died, we proved it was done by two different people. Maybe that gave him what he was looking for, I don't know and I guess I don't care. Come on let's go get breakfast."

As they walked over to the diner, Booth filled his lungs with fresh air. "It's a pretty good morning. After breakfast, we can drive home and get some sleep. Maybe we can just take care of the laundry tonight and skip everything else. We deserve a lazy day at least I think so."

"I think so, too." Brennan didn't really like to do nothing since it usually made her anxious, but her night had been filled with work, mystery and anxiety. A day of doing nothing with Booth was just what she needed. She was also certain that after they had slept that she would be able to entice Booth into an afternoon of sex. She knew him and he would never turn her down.

Ooooooooooooooo

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	60. Chapter 60

(The Bones on the Blue Line)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Riku Inagawa had flown from Japan to Washington D.C. to interview Brennan about her new Kathy Reichs book. The reporter was a big fan of Dr. Brennan and looked forward to meeting her and her partner, Agent Booth. The hot sex scenes in the book were awesome and she looked forward to meeting the author of such great writing. Clearly Dr. Brennan knew what love was and how passion could overtake life quickly. The sheer abandonment of the scene on page 187 made her feel excited and tingly every time she read it.

She met Brennan and her partner Seeley Booth at the Founding Fathers and couldn't wait to talk about 'Bone of Contention'. "Your book is very popular in Japan. It's spine tingling."

Booth liked the sound of that. "Spine tingling is good, Bones."

Not so sure about that, Brennan shook her head. "Except when it indicates a dangerous nerve disorder."

Before he could respond, an earthquake shook the table they were sitting at along with their chairs and the building. "This can't be an earthquake." Booth had felt them before in Asia and South America, but not on the east coast of the United States. "This isn't California."

"In both 1811 and 1812, large tremors shook D.C. and again in 1828." Brennan used facts and data to maintain calmness. She could always rely upon facts. They kept her world an orderly place. It kept chaos at bay.

The quaking started to slow. "We can discuss this later." The swaying stopped and for that Booth was grateful. It was one thing to face someone with a weapon, but when it came to mother nature, you were helpless. There was little you could do to protect yourself. You were at the mercy of something that was merciless and uncaring.

Riku wasn't really impressed with this particular earthquake. She had been in Kashiwazaki on July 16, 2007 when they had an earthquake that registered as a 6 on the shindo scale. Eleven people had died and over a thousand people had been hurt. The cost was high. 342 buildings had been destroyed. This earthquake felt like a two or a three at the most. "So, Andy is based upon Agent Booth, isn't he?"

"What? No, he isn't." Brennan was so tired to people saying that. She knew that Booth believed that he was, but she had told him many times that he wasn't. "Over the years, I have provided a background for Kathy and Andy and you can see that they are not based upon real people."

Before Booth or Riku could respond, his phone rang. The interview was over.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sweets didn't know who else to call. A young man had died in front of him because of a broken water main. The water had pushed the subway car they were riding in from the tracks and the stranger had slid from his seat, hit a pole and died instantly. Sweets had seen people die before, but his adopted parents had been old and their deaths were expected. His mother had died and his father followed a few weeks later from a broken heart. The young man sitting next to Sweets who had died had no warning. One minute he was bragging about beating cancer and the next minute he was dead. His life force was gone in an instant. It was a hard thing to see happen and it was hard to forget.

Booth found his young friend sitting on a bench in the subway, wrapped in a blanket and shivering. He talked to Sweets and tried to reassure him, but Booth knew that witnessing someone die takes time to process. He knew since he'd been through this himself. Of course, the first time he'd seen someone die was when his grandmother had passed away. She had died of cancer and he had expected it. The second person he had seen die had died from massive blood loss. Private Simmons had been shot in the heart and he had been standing next to Booth when it had happened. That death had been unexpected and violent and Booth had little time to adjust to the loss of his friend since he was being shot at, at that time. When he'd had time to think about it, he had realized that being in the army meant he would see more death and he would have to get used it.

Sweets wasn't in a violent profession and there was no reason for him to expect someone to die in front of him. He was a psychologist and he dealt with mental health issues and sometimes he profiled cases for Booth. It was a fairly safe job and sudden death wasn't part of it.

Back in his office, Sweets felt like he was suffering from dissociation. He felt detached from his emotions, that the people he talked to weren't really real or a distortion. He knew he was reacting to the death of the young stranger, but he didn't seem to be able to shake the memory or the feeling of detachment. He needed to work out why he was going through this, but first he had to accept what he had seen and deal with it. Talking to Booth had helped, but Sweets knew that he had to find himself once more because for some reason he had lost himself. He didn't know how to explain it to Booth so he didn't try. He would deal with it in his own way and come up with his own solution.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

A body had been found in the subway tunnel after the water had drained away and Booth and Brennan were trying to determine who it was. Being followed around by a star struck, note taking journalist wasn't something that Brennan wanted to happen, but Riku was only in town for a few days and Brennan had promised to give her an interview. She really hated this side of publishing. She loved writing. She loved to write about murder mysteries using her vast knowledge to make the stories interesting to her fans. Once the books were published, she was expected to go to book signings and do interviews and these made her uncomfortable. She didn't think she communicated well with strangers. She didn't like to chat and small talk was almost impossible for her. The questions that she was asked were repetitive and boring. No one ever seemed to be interested in the science behind her books. Most of her fans were interested in the human relationships and the sex that Kathy had. She just considered that filler and no matter how much she told herself that her fans were interested in her cases, she knew that a lot of them weren't.

Her books were an outlet for her. They allowed her to explore the things she wasn't personally good at. She could experiment with conversations, with interrogation techniques, with the side of her job that Booth did. It allowed her freedom and she was willing to put up with the onerous parts of publishing if she was allowed to keep writing more books. Still, Riku was getting on her nerves and there was nothing she could do about it. The journalist was promised an interview and Brennan would make sure that happened.

Booth noticed that the journalist would ask a question and if she didn't like the answer, she didn't write down anything in her notebook, but if she mentioned something and Brennan or he objected Riku would write something down. He was worried about what the article would say when it was printed. He didn't want Brennan humiliated nor himself for that matter, but he had no say in what would be published in Japan. He was proud of Brennan's accomplishments, but he didn't think her fans knew that there was a difference between Kathy Reichs and Temperance Brennan.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The case was solved fairly quickly and that disappointed Riku. She had enjoyed watching Brennan working with her partner. It was if she was living in one of Brennan's books and she was seeing Kathy and Andy working together. She knew she would have to try to convey that emotion when she wrote her article. Booth was Andy. He protected Temperance Brennan not that she needed that much protection. The anthropologist seemed to be able to take care of herself most of the time. She was brilliant at what she did and her peers seemed to respect her and honor her. Riku had enjoyed following Brennan around and observing how they handled suspects. She had enjoyed interviewing some of the people at the Lab too. They had enlightened her in so many ways and she would include their observations in her article.

Riku found it so romantic that Brennan was living with Booth. Though Kathy and Andy weren't living together in Brennan's books, she could see that they would be compatible. There was a lot of affection between the partners and Booth respected Brennan's brilliance. Truly this was a match made by the gods.

Reluctantly, she had to leave Washington D.C. and waved at Booth and Brennan before she turned and walked down the corridor to her plane.

"Thank God, that's over." Booth placed his arm around Brennan's shoulders and hoped there wouldn't be anymore journalists in their lives in the near future. "You know, we're going to have to get a copy of that article."

"I agree." Brennan sighed. "She wrote a lot of notes, but none of them seemed to be about the science behind my stories. She only seemed to be interested in the sexual relationship between Kathy and Andy." That had been both expected and disappointing. "Just once, I would like to be interviewed by someone who understood forensic science. Just once."

He knew that Brennan was frustrated, but she was just going to have to let it ago. "Face it, Bones. No one is smarter than you are. The average mystery reader only knows what they see on television or read in books and you know a lot of it is bunk. Some of them think we can do DNA tests in an hour. It's a problem, but not a big one. You just have to remember that they're civilians and they only know what they've picked up over the years. They haven't gone to school to study what you and I have studied. Your books keep the science real and I think your fans know more about forensic anthropology than most mystery readers because of you. You don't try to speak down to your fans or dumb down your books and your fans appreciate that. They really do."

"I hope so." Brennan tried to be as accurate as possible when she wrote her books. "I need to get back to the Lab. Clark is looking over some remains in Bones Storage and I said I would help him this afternoon."

The airport noisy and crowded, Booth removed his arm from his girlfriend's shoulders and grasped her hand. "Okay, I have some reports I need to work on too."

Oooooooooooooooo

Before Booth isolated himself in his office for the afternoon, he decided to check on his young friend. "So, Sweets are you doing okay?" He was worried that the death of the stranger in the subway was still affecting the psychologist.

Surprised to see Booth in his office, Sweets stood up and faced the Agent. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for checking on me."

It seemed like a dismissal and Booth really did have a lot of paperwork to take care of. "Good, glad to hear it."

Before he could leave the room, Sweets stopped him.

"I asked Daisy to marry me . . . I've been thinking about what I want to do with my life, what I want to accomplish and . . . I love her Booth. I want to be with her and so I asked her to marry me this afternoon. Daisy said yes."

Worried that his young friend was making a decision based upon what happened in the subway, Booth stepped closer to the younger man. "Are you sure? I mean . . . you had a rough time when you saw that guy die in the subway. You might be making a decision based upon fear. Life is short, life is unpredictable, but you don't have to push yourself before you're ready just because you've realized your mortal."

"No, it's not that." Sweets paused, did he do what Booth said he did? No, he didn't think so. "I've been in love with Daisy for a while. I want what you have Booth. You have a girlfriend, a stable relationship, a home you're sharing with her. You're happy. I want to be happy too."

"Okay." Booth still thought Sweets was rushing into something he wasn't prepared for, but it wasn't his life to live. "Well, then congratulations."

Pleased, Sweets moved closer and shook Booth's hand. "Thank you. We haven't set a date or anything but we will. We'll let you know when we're ready."

"Good." Glancing at his watch, Booth turned to leave. "As long as you're sure."

Once Booth was out of the room, Sweets sat down and stared at the empty doorway. "I'm sure . . . I think I'm sure . . . no, I'm sure."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	61. Chapter 61

(The Parts in the Sum of the Whole)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Brennan was feeling a little edgy lately and doubts were starting to move in. She had never committed to anyone in a relationship before and she wasn't sure if what she was doing would last very long. Her parents had abandoned her when she was fifteen years old and her brother had given her away a few weeks after they disappeared. They supposedly had loved her, after all they had told her they did. They were supposed to protect her and suddenly everyone in her family were gone and she was alone.

She had been mistreated in Foster Care and she'd rarely received a kind word from anyone. One set of Foster parents had almost killed her when they locked her in the trunk of a car on a very hot day and once she was saved, she was moved into a group home where the other children mostly ignored her.

It didn't take her long to realize that she would never be able to count on anyone ever again. She would have to grow up on her own. It would be up to her to study hard and get scholarships to advance her education. If her parents were alive then they no longer loved her or cared for her. If they were dead, then there was no one else to take their place. The most valuable lesson she had learned from this experience was to trust no one and no one could break your heart.

Now that she was in a relationship with her partner, she expected something to happen and for Booth to leave her. Her past experience told her that her relationship with Booth wouldn't last forever. Love eventually died and when it did you would be abandoned. She didn't see her relationship ending any other way. She hoped she was wrong, but she would not be surprised when she was proven right.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Life seemed to be pretty good to Booth at the moment. He'd had a rocky time of it when he'd had the brain tumor and of course being shot by a stalker was no picnic, but he had Brennan in his life and she had helped him through the roughest patch of his life. He was aware that some things about him had changed, but Brennan and his grandfather had assured him that the changes were inconsequential and he chose to believe them now. He had to believe what they said was true. He was tired of worrying about the changes and he had to move on.

Never expecting to get Brennan to become part of his personal life, Booth didn't know how his life could get any better. He was in love with someone he thought was amazing. He'd discovered early in their partnership that she was brilliant and that he could count on her when he needed to. She had her eccentricities but who didn't? She was slow to trust anyone, but she was loyal to her friends and she was loyal to him. She was strong, independent and she was beautiful. He considered himself lucky to be in a relationship with her and he didn't plan on taking that for granted.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

She'd missed her period, but she wasn't too alarmed. She and Booth had had unprotected sex a few times when they shouldn't have, but the odds of her being pregnant were probably small since she took birth control. She pushed it out of her mind for a few days and then when nothing happened, she bought a home pregnancy kit. That evening when she got home, she took the test and found that she was not pregnant. Aware that home tests weren't one hundred percent reliable, she thought she'd make an appointment with her gynecologist to make sure everything was fine.

The next morning, her period started, but she decided to keep her appointment anyway. Not sure what was going on, she chose not to talk to Booth about it. The next two days were a waiting game and once she met with her gynecologist, she had her answer. She wasn't pregnant. Dr. Reuben talked to her about what was going on in her life and because she knew that Brennan had been under a lot of stress for the last few months because of her boyfriend's health scare, she thought it was possible that Brennan might have been affected enough to alter her cycle. Brennan knew that stress could affect a person's health and she felt that she should have considered that when her period was late.

She had felt foolish risking a pregnancy when she wasn't sure she wanted a baby and yet, she felt devastated. She didn't understand why she felt that way. The home pregnancy test had informed her that she wasn't pregnant, but somehow, she had become convinced that she might be pregnant and now she was dealing with a surprising mix of emotions. Sitting in her car, she allowed herself to cry for a few moments. Wiping the tears from her face with some tissues she kept in her purse, she felt a little silly. Facts were facts and she had been told she wasn't pregnant. She would move on.

That evening, while she was setting the table, she told Booth. "My period was late. There was a possibility that I might be pregnant, but I'm not. Dr. Reuben confirmed it today."

Placing the lid back on the pot, Booth turned to face his partner. "You thought you were pregnant and you went to the doctor and you didn't tell me?"

Not sure why Booth was asking her that, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "The home pregnancy test I took came back negative. I just needed to make sure that the test was accurate. I didn't need you there for that."

His temper rising, Booth clenched his fists and tried to remain calm. "You thought there was a chance you were pregnant and you didn't tell me? I'm you're partner. Why wouldn't you tell me what was going on?"

"Because I was certain that I wasn't pregnant and I didn't want to waste your time going to the doctor with me." It had been years since anyone had gone to the doctor with her and she found it odd that Booth would want to. She didn't understand why he seemed angry about it. "I didn't need you there, Booth."

"You didn't need me there." He felt like she had hit him in the stomach. Didn't she want him to be part of her life? He was confused and he didn't know how to take what she was saying to him. She loved him. He knew she loved him, but she was shutting him out on the important stuff. This was important. "Bones, we're in a relationship. You and me. What affects you affects me just like what affects me affects you. It's how this thing works."

Still confused with Booth's attitude, Brennan sighed. "I'm not a child, Booth. I've been going to doctors by myself for over fifteen years."

Afraid he was going say something that he couldn't take back, Booth nodded his head and left the room. After pacing in the living room for a few seconds, he decided the best thing he could do was leave for a while. He was angry and he was having trouble calming down. To protect his relationship, he grabbed his keys and left the house. Once he was outside, he got in to his truck and sat there for a few minutes before he decided he didn't know where to go. Leaving his truck, he walked over to the garage, entered the building and sat on the floor near the back bench and shelves. He had some thinking to do.

Confused, Brennan watched Booth pace the living room then leave the house. She wasn't sure why he was angry and she was afraid she had crossed some line that she didn't know existed. She had known that being in a personal relationship was going to be hard since she didn't understand most of societies rules. Those rules were not published anywhere for someone to read and memorize. They were rules you learned living your life and she hadn't bothered to learn any of them. Now Booth was hurt and angry and she didn't know what to do about it. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to make him angry, but she was used to doing things her way and she didn't see why things like doctors appointments should change just because she was in a committed relationship.

It was times like this that she wished her mother was still alive. When she had been young and living with her parents, she could count on her mother to explain how social situations were supposed to work. As an adult she had done the best she could. When she met Booth and started to work with him, she came to rely upon his knowledge to get her through awkward situations.

An hour had passed and Booth hadn't come back into the house. Opening the front door, she noticed his truck was parked in front of the garage, so she knew that if he had gone anywhere it had to have been on foot. Leaving the house, she walked down the driveway and out onto the sidewalk. Glancing both ways, she didn't spy her partner and wondered if he had really left the house. Moving around the house, she found the back yard empty and decided to check the garage. The building was dark and she assumed he wasn't there but turned on the overhead light to check anyway. She spotted him sitting on the floor staring at her. "Why is it important to go to the doctor with me?" She needed to understand his reasoning.

Rubbing his eyes, Booth felt calmer than he had been earlier. "I don't think it's important to go with you every time you go to the doctor, Bones. I think it's important to go with you when you think important stuff is happening like you thinking you're pregnant. We're in a relationship. If you were pregnant then I think that I should know about it."

"But I wasn't pregnant." She was trying so hard to understand his reasoning but her frustration was growing because what he was saying made no sense to her.

Angry with himself, Booth realized that he wasn't explaining what he thought very well and he needed to try harder to make sure Brennan understood what was going on. Standing, he suppressed a groan as he felt a catch in his back. Sitting on a concrete floor wasn't the smartest thing he could have done. "Okay . . . look, you and me, we're in a relationship. A committed relationship. A monogamous one. And because we're in a relationship if something important should happen like you thinking you're pregnant I think I should be told because I love you and I want to support you. I want to be there in the doctor's office with you so that if the news is good or bad, we can support each other. I mean you being pregnant would be a real game changer for both of us. It wouldn't just affect you, but me too . . . Do you understand? Do you see why I would want to be with you?"

Enlightened, Brennan nodded her head. "I think I understand. I should have mentioned the home test and you could have made up your mind whether or not you wanted to go with me. I think it would have been a waste of your time going since I found out I wasn't pregnant, but I suppose that wouldn't matter . . . Do you want a baby?" She knew that in the past she had told Booth that she wasn't interested in having children, but she wasn't sure what she felt about it now. She didn't understand what she was feeling about the situation, but perhaps understanding Booth would help.

He hesitated to answer that question. He didn't want to pressure her into anything. He loved her too much. "Um . . . only if you want one."

"That isn't an answer, Booth." Annoyed, Brennan crossed her arms against her breasts. "Do you want another child?"

"Since you're asking me . . . yeah, I do, but you've told me in the past that you don't want any kids and I get that." He was being truthful because he knew that Brennan valued truth. "I have a son and if he's the only child I ever have then that will be fine . . . Really. We're equal partners in this relationship, Bones. That means if you don't want something then that's fine by me. I love you and want you to be happy."

Feeling a weight lift from her shoulders, Brennan lowered her arms and nodded her head. "Alright . . . Why did you choose to sit out here in the garage?"

"I thought about going for a ride somewhere, but I decided to come out here instead." Booth felt stiff and he knew he needed a soak in the tub before he went to bed. "Look, I was mad, I'll admit that, but all we needed was a little space. I needed some time to think about things and I needed to do it alone . . . I promised you that I'd never leave you and I meant it. We're going to have arguments, hell that's part of who we are, but that doesn't mean I'm ever going to be mad enough to leave you. I came out here for some space that's all."

His explanation was unexpected and yet she was grateful that he had said what he had said. Their relationship might not last a long time, but if they could argue and still be together then she felt that there was a chance that their relationship might last for a while. "Perhaps you should put a chair out here to sit on. Sitting on the cement floor isn't good for your back."

Rubbing his lower back, Booth stepped towards Brennan and kissed her. "Good idea. There's space over near the back door. I might bring out a chair and buy a refrigerator too. I can keep some beer and water out here, maybe some Popsicles."

Hooking her arm around Booth's arm, Brennan walked with him back to the house. "We could keep watermelons in it too."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea too." Booth was sad that Brennan wasn't pregnant, but it was probably for the best. He would love to have a child with her, but he knew that he loved her and she was all he needed. "I'm going to soak in the tub. Want to join me?"

"I think I will, Booth."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thanks.


	62. Chapter 62

(The Boy with the Answer)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The Gravedigger's trial was finally coming up and there were mixed feelings about this event amongst those involved in the trial. Brennan and Hodgins were ready to see Heather Taffet convicted of her crimes and given the sentence she deserved. Cam was ready to present the evidence and see justice done and felt that her people were more than ready. Lance Sweets had been studying Taffet's court cases and he felt that she was going to be a strong opponent. He was afraid that she might actually be found not guilty and that Brennan, Hodgins and Booth would not get the closure they needed. Booth was confident that Caroline Julian would crush Taffet's defense and that she would die for what she did. And lastly, Caroline Julian knew that if she didn't get a conviction that the possible repercussions would be disastrous. Too many people were convinced that Taffet was the Gravedigger and if she walked, her freedom would be short lived. Caroline knew how the world worked and she was certain that someone would kill Taffet if given the opportunity. Too many people died at her hands and she had seen the letters promising retribution if things didn't go well. This case was going to be televised and she knew it was going to be a circus. Caroline also suspected that if she lost her case, she would be blamed for letting a killer walk free and that would be the end of her career.

Oooooooooooooooo

Sitting in court, watching the proceedings, Booth felt a little detached from what was going on. The evidence Jared had found in Taffet's storage locker had been thrown out by the judge. Fruit of the forbidden tree. _What bullshit!_ They'd had 24 hours to find something else to go after her with or proceed with what they had as long as it didn't include anything in the locker. Bizarrely they found that evidence with the Gravedigger's help. Booth had been inclined to be leery of the situation and he was proven correct, they soon found out it was a set up. They could use the new evidence if Booth, Brennan and Hodgins dropped their kidnapping cases against Taffet. Brennan and Hodgins wouldn't be allowed to work the evidence if their cases were part of the trial, so they'd agreed to the blackmail and that's what Booth knew this to be, it was blackmail.

Booth was sure that Taffet had given them the clues to Terrence Gilroy's burial place to entice them to drop their cases. She was counting on them to not have enough time to pursue the new case and present it to the jury. She was taking a big risk, but Booth knew that it was a risk she was clearly willing to take. The former attorney thought she was smarter than the squints and Booth knew she was making a mistake.

Working quickly, they found the evidence they needed to proceed and Taffet was on trial for the murder of Terrence Gilroy. He'd been kidnapped from the Rockland Mall and it was up to them to prove it. The boy's body had been located using the clue that Taffet had given them and the remains were moved to the Lab where it was examined by Brennan and Cam. Hodgins worked on particulates and Booth tried to connect Terrence Gilroy to Heather Taffet. They were working on a tight schedule. The judge wasn't willing to delay the trial, so they had to investigate while the trial went on.

Booth had wanted his case to be heard, but now that his case had been dropped, he had to count on Taffet being convicted for Terrence's kidnapping and murder. Booth had been kidnapped and left on a ship to die and he was only alive because Brennan and everyone else had not given up searching for him. Brennan had appeared in a helicopter to whisk him off the boat with little time to spare. She'd saved his life. He owed her and everyone at the Lab a lot and he would always remember that, but he was never going to get the closure he wanted and neither were Brennan and Hodgins. Caroline had known what she was asking them to do, but she'd had little choice. They had to go after Taffet with what they had. There were no other options.

Brennan had talked Hodgins out of pursuing his kidnapping case, but the entomologist was feeling hopeless and uncertain. He knew that he was working with brilliant people who were great at their jobs, but the time they had to do anything was so short and he was certain that Taffet was mocking them.

The trial was creating a lot of stress for everyone involved and Brennan was having bad dreams. Every night she dreamt of Booth and Hodgins dying. She raced to save them, but no matter what she did, in her dreams they died. Booth was there when she cried out in her dreams and drew her from her nightmare. He held her and tried to assure her, but he felt that Brennan was distancing herself from him. "I'm not as separated from my emotions as I should be. I'm a scientist and I'm letting my emotions cloud my judgment. I need to step back and do my job, Booth. I need to distance myself from my personal life and concentrate on the evidence."

Concerned that she wasn't being rational enough, Brennan moved into the guest bedroom for the rest of the trial. "This isn't about you, Booth. This isn't about me. I need to concentrate. Being in emotional entanglements at this moment means that Taffet might walk. I cannot let her do that. I have to do my job. I hope you understand."

He did understand but he hated her reasons. Unable to do anything else, he let her move into the guest bedroom with little protest. Booth knew that Brennan had a method when it came to her job. She tried not to empathize with the victims. She had always said that empathy would prevent her from looking too deeply at the remains. If she saw their pain she wouldn't be able to help them and he understood that. It was what she did. She felt things too deeply and had to place a shield between the victims and herself.

It pained him to sleep in their bedroom by himself. He had loved Brennan for so long and now that she was in his life, he didn't want to give up a minute of his time with her, but he knew he had to. For Brennan's sake and for the victim. If they wanted justice for the boy, for themselves, then Brennan had to be able to work using her methods. He just hoped that when this was over, Brennan wouldn't walk away from him. If she separated herself from their ties that bound them together would she allow him back into her life? He didn't know and that worried him.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The trial was over and Heather Taffet had been convicted. Booth had noticed the shock on her face and he knew that the former attorney couldn't believe that she had lost her case. Glad the trial was over, Booth wondered what would happen next. Brennan hadn't slept with him for four days. She had barely talked to him in that length of time and now he would see if there was still a relationship between them. "Bones, let's go out and celebrate."

"I can't Booth." Brennan needed time to adjust. She had become almost robotic in the last few days and she was feeling detached from everyone around her. "I have some things I need to do. I'll see you at home." She'd seen the disappointment on his face and she knew that she had hurt him. She didn't mean to do that, but for some reason she didn't understand, she had done that to him twice in the last few months and it worried her. Was he getting tired of her? She didn't know. She hoped not, but time would tell.

After she left the courthouse, Brennan drove back to the Lab, walked down to Bones Storage, closed and locked the door and began working on one of the unidentified sets of remains being stored in the room. She needed to decompress. She needed to regain her humanity and she needed to work to do that.

"I love Booth . . . He's the only one that I can really trust . . . I have some friends and I try to trust them . . . Angela, Hodgins . . . but I know I can trust Booth. I asked him to leave me alone while I worked on the case . . . I think I hurt him, but I was too emotional to work the case properly. Taffet buried me and Hodgins in a car. She almost killed Booth. I wanted her to suffer for what she had done, but I could see that if I didn't step back, she would win. I needed to distance myself from the victims. All of the victims including me. Yes, I was a victim . . . I think that's the first time I've ever admitted that out loud."

Placing the bones on the table in meticulous order, Brennan continued to talk. She knew that there was no one there to hear her and that gave her the freedom to say what was on her mind. With slow precision, she unveiled her thoughts and tried to regain a bit of herself.

"I worry that I am too emotional sometimes . . . I try to maintain an emotional distance when I am at work. It is how I am able to do my job so well, but I want to be emotionally available to Booth . . . I don't really know how . . . A lot of times, I don't understand myself let alone Booth. I've always been like this. It's like there is a wall between me and everyone else around me. Most people talk nonsense. It's not because they're necessarily stupid, it's just that I don't understand what makes people excited, what makes them angry or even happy and they chatter about things that I don't understand . . . I don't understand what makes me happy sometimes . . . I'm different, I know that. I've always known that."

The skeleton was missing some parts, but she could clearly see that this victim was a young male who appeared to be of Native American descent. He was approximately 18 to 25 and his body had been returned from France. His body had been found on some farmland, buried under a bush. The young man was believed to have died during World War II and she was determined to find out who he was.

"Booth sees things in me that I don't see . . . He loves me . . . at least for now. I have never had anyone in my life that loves me as much as he does. I love him too, but I don't know if his love will last. My parents love lasted for fifteen years. Booth says he'll never walk away from me. He is a man of honor and he usually keeps his word . . . I hope this lasts."

Once the remains were examined, Brennan sent an email to Angela giving her the specifications she would need to do a facial reconstruction. The bones returned to the box and her notes transferred to Cam, Brennan left for the day. It had been a long day and she knew it wasn't over yet.

Ooooooooooooooooo

She was as quiet as she could be. The house was dark except for the night light in the kitchen, the hallway and in their bathroom. After she undressed and changed into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she moved onto their bed. Booth was sleeping on his side and she had hoped she wouldn't wake him, but she wasn't surprised when he opened his eyes. "Sorry. It's late, go back to sleep."

The only light in the room came from the bedroom window and it was enough for Booth to see that Brennan was tired. "Hey are you alright?" He was a little surprised that Brennan had returned to their bed, but it was a happy surprise.

"I'm fine. I just needed to think about a few things." Moving onto her side, she snuggled against Booth and felt welcomed when he pulled her closer to his body and placed his arm around her. "I love you Booth. That hasn't changed. During the trial I had to step back and do my job. I didn't stop loving you."

"I know." And he did know. He understood that Brennan had to be Brennan and he wasn't going to try to change that. He loved her even if she did worry him sometimes. He would never leave her. He just had to convince her of that fact.

Ooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	63. Chapter 63

(The Beginning in the End)

Thank you for reviewing my story, I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

On the way to the crime scene, Brennan decided that this was the best time to talk to Booth about something important that had come up very recently. "You probably heard about the full set of interspecies hominid remains that were found in the Maluku Islands." It was very exciting news.

"Um, well, I missed that one." Booth had no idea what his partner was talking about, but she sounded excited and that meant it must be important in the anthropology world. "Where's Mypoopooo?" It sounded far away.

"Maluku, Indonesia." Brennan turned to stare at her partner. "Anyway, this could be a crucial link in the evolutionary chain. Remains were found on the islands which suggest Homo Floreslensis may have mated early with Homo Sapiens . . . I've been in touch with the organizing committee." She wasn't sure that Booth understood just how important this find was.

"Really?" Not sure if Brennan was trying to tell him something, Booth spotted the apartment building he was looking for and looked for a parking space.

As her partner parked this truck, Brennan faced away from him. "That shouldn't come as a surprise. I am an anthropologist."

The truck parked, Booth turned off the engine and faced his partner. "Yes, you are . . . it sounds important, this find and I can understand why you're interested." Opening the door, he made sure there was no traffic coming towards him and left the truck.

She hadn't finished her conversation with her mate, but she knew she would have to do so very soon. For now, she had a job to do.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sitting on a bench near the coffee stand, Booth noticed someone watching him and he wasn't thrilled about it. _What the hell does he want?_

Aware that he didn't have Booth's attention, Sweets turned his head and saw someone in a uniform watching them. Well, probably Booth since he didn't really know anyone in the Army. "Why are you staring at that soldier?"

His annoyance growing, Booth answered while keeping his eyes on the Colonel. "It's not a soldier. It's a full-bird colonel of the Army Rangers . . . and he's staring at me."

The colonel chose that moment to walk down the path to where Booth was sitting and stopped a few feet from him. "Master Sergeant."

"Not Master Sergeant and you know that. FBI as in FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth." Booth could smell trouble coming and he was prepared. "Why'd they send you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Colonel Pelant kept his face and voice unemotional. "I told them you'd talk to me. So far so good." The Colonel was confident he knew his man.

"Well, I'm not talking to you." Calmly, Booth stood up and started to walk away.

Not willing to let Booth go, the Colonel spoke up. "We're losing men every day. Men who don't have to die and wouldn't if you trained them. Your country needs you."

He knew he was being manipulated and it made Booth angry. "I served my country, Colonel. You have no right to talk to me like that." His teeth clenched Booth continued to walk away with Sweets following close behind.

Disappointed, the Colonel let Booth walk away. He wasn't finished. _Not by a long shot._

"Booth . . ."

"Not now, Sweets." Not sure why the Army was interested in him, Booth pondered the situation as he walked back to the Hoover. _I'm 38 years old. I just had a brain tumor removed a year ago. I'm in great shape, but I know I'm not fit to go into a war zone. What the hell are they trying to pull and why? They want to use me as a sniper. That has to be it. I'm done with that. They can't make me do that anymore. I won't do that anymore._

In the dark about what was going on, Sweets followed his friend back to the Hoover. Thinking over the conversation, Sweets hoped that Booth wouldn't allow the Army to manipulate him. The agent had family obligations here and he was the head of his department at the FBI. _It would be a mistake to go back into the army. Wow and what would Dr. Brennan do if Booth did it? This is bad. This is very bad._

Oooooooooooooooooooo

The case seemed to be moving slowly. The victim had been a hoarder and there was so much material in the man's apartment that it seemed almost impossible that they would be able to sift through so much junk and find a murder weapon or even the scene of the crime. They were certain it was in the apartment, but it was possible that when the floor had given way that vital clues had been lost. Hodgins was working in the apartment trying to get as much information as he could while that left Brennan and Cam examining the body and Booth investigating the man's background

That evening, taking a break from the investigation, Booth and Brennan arrived at their home and tried to have a quiet evening. After dinner, Booth turned on a ballgame, but Brennan asked him to turn the volume down on the television. She needed to talk to him and she didn't want the noise from the television distracting her partner.

"Sure Bones, what's up?" Booth turned the TV off and shifted on the couch to stare at Brennan. He had known that she was worried about something, but this was the first time today they'd had time to have a private conversation.

"I told you this morning about the find in Maluku . . . I've been in contact with the organizing committee and I'm being offered a position on the team. If I joined the group in Indonesia, I would be there for about one year." She watched his face and saw a look of surprise and something else she couldn't name. "This is probably the most important find in the last decade. To be part of this team would be the experience of a lifetime."

Stunned, Booth wasn't sure what to say, but he knew that he had to be careful. "Um, so you want to go?" He had not seen this coming. "We just started living together. We bought a house."

"I'm not breaking up with you Booth." Brennan needed her mate to understand. "This thing I do with you is important, but it isn't why I got into anthropology. I've trained for years in my field and I'm the best in the world. The find in Maluku is what I trained for. I want to be part of that. I want to help make history, Booth and if this find is verified, it will make history." She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but it was important that he knew that they were still in a relationship. "This would just be a temporary separation. Not a permanent one. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." He had known Brennan for a long time. She loved her job, her profession and she strived to be the best. Hell, she was the best. If he tried to argue with her and prevent her from leaving wouldn't that be trying to change her? He had vowed he would never change her. He had promised himself that he would never hold her back from her job and now he was being tested. He could be selfish and try to keep her here, but she would resent him and he knew it. That resentment would grow and eventually it would kill what they had together and he couldn't allow that to happen. He knew who she was when he committed to being in a relationship with her. "Um, well, I think you should do it."

Surprised, Brennan stared at Booth and tried to determine if he was serious or not. "It would be for a year."

"Yeah, I heard you." The thought of being away from Brennan for a year sounded awful and he knew that he would be unhappy with the separation, but this wasn't about him. This was about her. "I mean it, Bones. If you feel like you need to do this then you should." He wasn't sure what else to say. He hated that she wanted to leave him for a year, but he wouldn't stop her. "When would you have to leave?"

"After this case is over." Brennan felt nervous and she wasn't sure why. Her partner was telling her that he was fine with her leaving and that was what she had wanted, but for some reason she felt uneasy. This wasn't how she had expected this conversation to go. Not at all. "I . . . I haven't told the committee that I'm taking the position yet. I wanted to talk to you first since we are in a relationship. But, if I accept, then I would probably leave next week. Daisy has been asked to join the expedition, so she will go with me."

Closing his eyes for a brief second, Booth opened them and smiled. "Hey, maybe you'll end up in history books. That would be cool."

"Yes, it would be cool." Feeling a hint of disquiet, Brennan stood up and walked down the hallway to their bedroom. Was she making the right decision? She thought it was the right thing to do and Booth said he was fine with her decision and yet, she was starting to have doubts. _This is a very important find. Dr. McDonald needs me there. I am the best in the world. My expertise will be very valuable. Booth agrees with me. I think I should take the position. It will only be for one year._

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting in the Royal Diner, looking over some notes about his current case, Booth was interrupted when Colonel Pelant sat down across the table and placed an envelope on the table.

Curious, Booth picked it up, opened it, removed the letter and read it. Shaking his head, he placed the letter back in the envelope and handed it back to the Colonel. "Not interested."

Frustrated, the Colonel leaned on the table and tried to remain as unemotional as he could. He knew that he had to be careful how he handled Booth. "Men are dying. You could help them survive."

"Men are always dying." Booth knew that sounded facetious and he hadn't meant it to, but he knew that Pelant was trying to manipulate him and he was angry. "You don't want me to train anyone. You want me to go over to Afghanistan and do what I do best. You want me as a sniper. I'm not a fool."

"We could use your skills that's true, but you could train young men in the art of tracking, of hunting down very dangerous men and how to take them down with a minimum loss of life. I'm talking about Afghan soldiers. We need men like you to help them do their jobs without losing their lives." Pelant could see Booth's anger, but he was here on a mission and he needed to be victorious. "You're the best. You know it, I know it. We need the best."

His eyes hooded, Booth studied the Colonel for a few seconds then responded. "I served my country. I killed 50 men while I was in the service. I did that because I was told it was necessary. That's a lot of blood, Colonel. That's a lot of death." His mind was made up. Booth wasn't going to give in on this one. "I've done my duty and I'm done. I had brain surgery last year. I had a tumor. It wasn't malignant, but I had to have it removed. I have a weak spot on my skull now . . . I'm not fit for a war zone. Don't think I'm telling you these things to make excuses. I don't need to make excuses. There are younger men out there that can do what I can do. Maybe not as good as me, but they can get the job done. I have a job that is important to a lot of people. I have a son that needs a father. I won't walk away from him and I won't walk away from my partner . . . I decline your offer, Colonel. There is nothing you or anyone else could say to make me say yes."

Disappointed, Colonel Pelant leaned back against his chair and stared at Booth for a few moments. "I thought better of you, Booth. I really did. I thought you were a patriot."

A flash of anger coursed through him and Booth knew that he was very close to striking the Colonel. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? I've done my duty and I did it well. I have accommodations to prove it. Get the hell away from me and don't come back. Asshole." Booth had never talked to anyone in authority like that before, but the Colonel had crossed a big red line. No one questioned his patriotism and walked away free. No one.

Standing, Colonel Pelant shook his head and placed the envelope in his jacket pocket. "You've definitely changed, Master Sergeant."

"Fuck off. You tell whoever sent you that I'm not interested." Booth was calmer but not by much. Relieved when his former commanding officer was gone, Booth leaned on the table and placed his forehead on his arms. He was tired. He was tired of the pressure that he was under and he wanted some peace. He knew that there would be none until Brennan's trip to Maluku was over. _This is going to be a very long year._

Ooooooooooooooooo

The case had been solved, Brennan had accepted the position in Maluku and she had rushed to make arrangements to leave. Their last evening together had been bitter sweet for both Brennan and Booth. They hadn't been together very long and now they were going to be separated for a year. Brennan had considered staying, but in the end, she had to go. She knew that if she stayed and didn't go to Maluku she would regret it. Booth knew that Brennan was having second thoughts and he considered talking her into staying, but in the end, he encouraged her to go. She was the best in her field and she deserved any glory to be had in Maluku.

Standing in the airport, Booth watched Angela, Hodgins and Cam hug Brennan and chat with her. Just before she had to leave to board her plane, Booth moved in and clasped Brennan's hands. "I'm going to miss you. Call me when you can and don't take any unnecessary risks. I'll be here waiting for you." He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her.

The kiss grew passionate, but neither Booth nor Brennan cared if anyone found it inappropriate or not. This was their goodbye kiss and they wouldn't see each other for a while. The announcement that her plane was boarding got through to them and they separated. "Clark will be going out with you in the field. He has promised me that he will look after you. He is licensed to carry a gun, so he can back you up as needed."

"I'm the gun, Bones . . . I . . . I love you." He felt his throat tighten with emotion. He was about to watch the woman he loved walk away from him and he had to let her do it.

"I love you too, Booth . . . Don't be you. You are not allowed to get hurt or to die." She was afraid she was making a mistake. "I . . ."

He heard the boarding call again. "You have to go, Bones. I love you and you love me. This is just temporary."

Nodding her head, Brennan turned and walked away. It was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Ooooooooooooooo

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	64. Chapter 64

(After "The Beginning in the End")

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

The victim had been found in cave in West Virginia by a pair of spelunkers. The cousins were hiking through the cave when they'd spotted what looked like an old blanket heaped against a wall near a broken stalagmite. Concerned that a bit of vandalism was going on the younger of the two men had investigated the blanket and found a child's body wrapped in it. After trying and failing to use his phone to call for help, the men hiked out of the cave and made a phone call a few feet from the entrance.

After inspecting the body, Sheriff Rankin placed a call to the FBI. The cave was located on private property, but next to a national park and he didn't want to jeopardize his deputies working the case. It needed proper equipment and serious spelunkers and none of his deputies were into caving. After he took a statement from the cavers, he hiked to the crime scene with the men who had found the body and took pictures of the crime scene for backup purposes then assigned a Deputy to guard the entrance of the cave until the FBI made an appearance.

Booth and Clark arrived at the scene along with a van containing FBI techs and the Jeffersonian van carrying Cam, Hodgins and any equipment they would need to perform their job. Once Booth talked to the deputy, he and the deputy moved into the cave, lightening their way with a flashlight. Clark, Cam, Hodgins and some of the techs followed cautiously behind allowing Booth and the Sheriff's deputy to lead the way. After they'd traveled a while in the cave following the chalk marks on the cave wall, they finally found the blanket wrapped child.

His job done Deputy Howard pointed back the way they had just come. "I'm going back to the entrance. If you need me, you know where I am."

Carefully moving part of the blanket away from the upper portion of the victim, Clark and Cam knelt by the body and tried to do an initial examination by flashlight. "This appears to be a young girl . . . perhaps eight to 12 years of age." Cam moved the blanket away from the girl's chest and stomach nodded her head. "Blood . . . looks like she's been shot in the chest and stomach."

"Caucasian . . . the blanket looks homemade." Clark moved the blanket further from the child's body. "She may have been here for a few weeks. The cave is damp, but the blanket has protected her from animal and insect depredation, well not completely, but enough."

Standing a few yards from the body, Booth noticed sets of footprints in some dried mud near the body and leading away from the wall back towards where he was standing. He and his people had trekked through mud and a small stream during their trip in the cave and Booth hoped they could capture some of the tracks that were in the area where the body lay. "There are numerous tracks in the mud around the body and leading to and from the body. I need pictures taken before anyone else comes in the area." Motioning towards Marcus Geier, Booth called out to the man who was standing with the rest of the techs a few yards back from where Booth was. "Marcus take as many pictures as you can. Make sure you look at that area around the stalagmite near the body and behind the victim. Once you're sure you've captured all the prints then you can, allow the rest of your crew to start searching for other evidence. Hodgins wait for Marcus' say so before you start looking at the dirt and whatever else you look at. I'm hoping some of these tracks were made by whoever killed the little girl."

His instructions complete, Booth moved over to where the techs and Hodgins were standing and wrote up a few notes in his notebook by flashlight while Marcus and another tech set up some lights so Marcus could look for prints.

Hodgins watched the lights set up and once the lights were on and the cave was no longer dark, he turned off his flashlight. "So, have you heard from Dr. B?"

"Yeah, sure." It had been two months since Brennan had gone on her dig and Booth missed her a lot. "She's fine." He didn't really want to talk about her and their situation, but he knew that Hodgins wouldn't let it go.

"She'd love a case like this." Marcus was busy taking pictures and Hodgins was growing bored waiting. "Has Dr. B said whether or not they've found anymore interspecies hominid remains or any signs of habitation?"

His notes complete, Booth flipped the book closed and placed it in his jacket pocket. Looking down at his feet, he saw that he had picked up a lot of mud on his boots while moving through the cave system. "She didn't say. If she had, she'd probably have told me, so I guess the answer is no." When he talked to Brennan it wasn't to talk shop and though Brennan had told him a few things about the dig, he hadn't been interested so he didn't bother to listen too closely. He loved to hear her talk, but he wasn't an anthropologist and some of the stuff she said went right over his head. "She says it's been raining like a bitch, so half the time they're just stuck in their tents playing chess or backgammon. Bones didn't sound happy about it, but it's not like she can control the weather."

"No, I guess not." Hodgins had been on a few digs in his early days and he remembered being trapped in a damp tent playing endless games of solitaire while he waited for the rain to stop. He hated digs and tried to avoid them after that. "Well, maybe they'll get lucky soon."

"Yeah, maybe." Brennan had brought her laptop and used a satellite hotspot to call Booth every evening. It was an expensive service, but she could afford it and they both thought it was worth the cost. "I don't think she's excited about the dig like she was . . . it might not be the great find she was led to believe."

Hodgins knew that was always a possibility when going on expeditions. It took a lot of patience to work a site not knowing whether there would be a payoff or not. "We know it's a risk she's willing to take. She loves her job and she is the best at what she does."

"She really is." Booth watched Marcus give the thumbs up and walk back to the group. "Okay, let's get going. We need to get out of here as soon as we can. If it decides to rain today that stream that we had to cross getting here could turn into a river . . . I hate caving." He'd had to deal with caves in the past while he'd been in the army, but he hated them. One of his friends had been killed in a rock fall during an operation in Afghanistan and Booth had suffered numerous bruises and lacerations. "Cam as soon as you think you're ready, we'll transport the body out of here."

"Give me a few more minutes, Booth." Cam was studying the gunshot wound and took a few pictures where the victim lay. "I think she was killed with a 12 gauge shot gun. She wasn't standing further than six feet from the shooter when she was hit . . . Poor baby. She didn't stand a chance."

Exhaling deeply, Booth knew he was going to hate this case. A child was dead and had been dumped in a cave like a piece of garbage. He was going to make sure someone paid for this.

Ooooooooooooooooo

"You're calling me late this evening." Booth was settled on the couch with a bottle of beer and a bowl of popcorn. They had removed the body from the cave and once that was complete, Booth had left the FBI techs to finish looking for particulates and anything that could be used to help solve the death of the little girl. Hodgins had opted to return with the techs while Cam and Clark drove back to the Lab with the body.

 _It stopped raining yesterday and that gave us time to continue digging outside the cave. Everything is muddy which makes our work twice as hard . . . Still, the challenge won't deter us._

"I'm glad it stopped raining. Clark is helping me on a case. The body of a little girl was found in a cave. Cam is looking into identifying the girl." Booth sipped some of his beer. "I sure wish you were here working with me, but I know Clark will do his best. It's not the same though." _Not by a long shot._

 _It sounds like an interesting case, Booth. Have you talked to Max lately? I got a letter from him saying he was thinking about vacationing in Alaska._

"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday." Much to his surprise, since Brennan had taken the sabbatical to go on the dig, Max had called him at least once a week. He supposed the old man missed his daughter. "He said he's going to take an Alaskan cruise next month. He and some people he used to work with in Coos Bay are going to meet up and have a reunion. Sounds like it might be fun."

 _That does sound interesting. I've never been to Alaska._

"Me neither." Booth wasn't a fan of cold and snow, but he supposed a trip in the summer wouldn't be too bad. "So, is Daisy still driving you nuts?"

 _I wouldn't say she'd driving me mad, but her incessant talking about Sweets and how she isn't sure if they're still engaged is annoying. I told her to write Sweets and she did, but he hasn't written back yet. I hope he does soon. Daisy needs to know where her relationship stands with Sweets . . . I've missed you._

"I really miss you, Bones. I can't wait until you come back." Booth wanted to say more about it, but he didn't want her to think he was trying to pressure her to come home. "Maybe you'll have better luck in front of the cave tomorrow."

 _Perhaps . . . I have to go, Booth. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I have confidence you will solve your new case rather quickly. You are very good at your job._

"Thanks Bones. I appreciate that." He rarely got a compliment from Brennan so when he did, he knew that she meant it. You had to earn them from her. "Bye, I love you."

 _I love you too, Booth._

The call ended, Brennan closed her laptop and stared at the opening to her tent. She was bored and she missed her mate. She loved working on digs, but she and her team had been working for two months and so far, they had found nothing to warrant their being there. It rained most of the time and when it wasn't they had to deal with mud, damp clothes and her boots were starting to get mold on them. _I wish I was at home working with Booth on his case. I am sure he is having more fun than I am and what he is doing is more productive._ Sighing, Brennan shook her head. "I may not last the year."

Ooooooooooooooooo

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	65. Chapter 65

(After "The Beginning in the End")

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

"I believe whoever placed the body in the cave did it with respect." Cam had carefully unwrapped the body with Clark's help and placed the now folded blanket on the examination table near Hodgins' station on the platform. "The body was wrapped in such a way that I believe whoever did this wanted to protect the body from animals." While examining the clothes the little girl had worn, she noticed that they were fairly new. "Her clothes were nice, well taken care of . . . I don't think the child was being abused or mistreated before she died."

Grateful for small favors, Booth nodded his head. It was bad enough the child had been shot and her body had been dumped in the cave. At least she hadn't been abused which painted a different picture in his mind about what might have happened. "How long do you think it will take you before you can identify her?"

Holding up a bracelet, Clark turned it so Booth could see the front. "She was wearing a bracelet with her first name on it, June. It's a bracelet that kids make from small beads. My cousin's daughter likes to make them."

It was a start and Booth made a quick notation in his notebook. "So, the victim is Caucasian, about nine years of age give or take a couple of years, her name might be June and she might like to do bead work. She was shot with a shotgun at close range. Whoever put her in the cave carried her for a fairly long distance and once she was in the cave, they wrapped her up to protect her body."

"Yes, to all of those." Clark turned his attention back to the chest and stomach wound while Cam motioned for Angela to come closer so she could take pictures of the victim's face. "Shooting a child with a shotgun seems a pretty violent act."

"It could have been an accident." Cam made some notations on a clipboard and handed it to Angela once she was finished.

It sounded reasonable, but Booth wasn't sure he believed that. "If it was an accident, why not call the police? Why carry her into a cave and leave her there?"

"I don't know." Checking her arms and legs, Clark noticed a bruise on the girl's left wrist. "This looks like someone had grabbed her and held her wrist pretty tight just before she died. You can almost see the fingers of the person that grabbed her." He measured the lengths of the impressions. "I'd say an adult or an almost adult."

Jotting down a few more notes, Booth closed the book and placed it in his jacket. "Call me when you get an identification."

Once he was gone, Cam sighed. "Booth is going to take this case personally. I recommend that if you interview anyone with Booth you try to keep the situation from heating up too much."

"Yeah." Clark had been warned by Brennan that he would be Booth's backup and that it was his job to make sure that he protected Booth from his emotional side. He hadn't been sure he had understood what that meant at the time Brennan had said it, but now he knew what she was talking about. The man was agitated and they didn't even know the victim's name yet. He just hoped he knew how to keep the agent calm when they confronted a possible child murderer.

Oooooooooooooooo

The child had been identified and Booth and Clark were on the way to the home of the victim. "June Wills, age ten, born in West Virginia. Daughter of Frederick and Irma Wills . . . they died in an automobile wreck seven months ago." Clark read the file while Booth drove. "Her aunt and uncle, Cedrick and Carol Wills officially adopted her five weeks ago. She's been dead for four weeks . . . not a coincidence?"

"Yeah, that rang a bell for me too." Although he had been told June hadn't been abused, the bruise on her wrist worried him. "Plus, who shoots a kid with a shotgun? Something bad was going on in June's life. We need to find out what it was."

Soon, they were at the house that June had lived in before she died and Booth parked his truck in the driveway. "We're four miles from the cave where June was found."

"Oh . . . the cave was convenient." The house was a neat house, the yard was well taken care of and Clark could see that there was a beautiful flower garden planted around the front of the house. "Seems like a nice place."

"Looks can be deceiving." Growing up in a house run by an alcoholic who abused his wife and kids, Booth knew that you couldn't judge the package by the wrapping on the outside. It was what was inside the box that counted. "I need you to observe June's aunt and uncle and anyone else there. Look for nervousness, signs of guilt. I'll ask the questions, unless you have something important to add."

As he followed Booth to the front door, Clark noticed that the closest neighbor was over 200 yards away. Any noise like yelling in this house wouldn't reach that house and that meant that if there was something wrong going on here, the neighbors probably wouldn't know about it.

A knock on the door brought a young man to the door. Booth held up his identification card. "I'm looking for Cedrick and Carol Wills. Are they home?" Booth couldn't help but notice how pale the man had become when he showed him his FBI identification. "I need to talk to them about June."

"I'm their son, Will." Moving aside, Will turned his head and called out. "Mom . . . Dad . . . the cops are here about June."

His face unemotional, Booth entered the house with Clark close on his heels. As he waited for someone to show up, Booth moved his gaze around the room, taking in as much information as possible. The room was neat, dust free and there was no clutter that he could see.

A worried woman hurried into the room and her husband followed her into the room a few seconds later. "I'm Carol Wills. Have you found June? Is she okay?"

"I'm sorry to inform you that June was found dead in a cave not too far from here." Booth watched the reactions of Carol and Cedrick to the news and he hoped that Clark had been watching Will.

"Oh, oh . . . I told her to keep away from the caves. They're so dangerous." Carol sat down and grabbed a tissue from a box on the coffee table as she started to weep. "I never thought to look in the caves . . . they scare me so much."

Cedrick placed his hand on his wife's shoulder while his own tears fell. "How did she die?"

"She was murdered." This time Booth watched the young man to see how he would react and he found Will's reaction to be interesting.

Shooting to her feet, Carol swayed then steadied herself by grabbing her husband's arm. "But, but who would murder a child? This doesn't make sense."

"How do you know she was murdered?" Cedrick was confused. He had thought the girl had run away. "Couldn't it have been an accident?"

"She was shot with a shotgun in the chest." Will flinched and Booth found that very interesting. "Do you own a shotgun Mr. Wills?"

Instantly on the defensive, Cedrick took a step back. "Are you suggesting that I killed June?" Appalled Cedrick turned and marched towards the hallway. "Yes, I have one and you can have it. It hasn't been used in ages . . . I would never harm that child. She was the daughter we always wanted. We loved her."

Quickly following behind Cedrick, Booth entered the den where the man had a gun case and moved around him before he could open the case. "I'll open the case and remove the gun, Sir." Using a clean handkerchief, he took the gun from the case and turned to face the man. "When is the last time you used it? Wen was the last time you cleaned it?"

"I don't know, maybe a year ago. I always clean it after I use it . . . I don't use it much." Cedrick witnessed Booth smell the gun and he instantly knew there was a problem. "What?"

"It smells like it's been shot since then." Careful to keep his bare hand from the trigger and the stock, Booth held the shotgun against the crook of his arm with his handkerchief covered hand. "I have a warrant to take any weapons that I need from this house."

Stunned, Cedrick nodded his head. "Yeah, sure." He didn't know who had shot the gun but it hadn't been him. "I didn't shoot it. I would never harm June."

Back in the living room, Booth motioned Clark to take the weapon. Pulling a pair of latex gloves from a jacket pocket, Clark donned them and took the weapon from the agent.

"Sir, my husband would never hurt June or anyone else. June was the daughter we had always wanted. We loved her." Carol was trembling with fear. Her adopted daughter was dead and the FBI was treating them like suspects. "When my brother and his wife died, we took June in immediately. We petitioned the court and they allowed us to adopt her. If we didn't want her we wouldn't have adopted her. Who would do that? Adopt someone and then kill them? Who would hurt their child?"

Coldly, Booth faced Carol. "I'm following the evidence ma'am. That's all I can do." Motioning for Clark to leave, he followed behind him. Once out of the house, Booth caught up with Clark. "I don't have enough evidence to arrest anyone."

Back in Booth's truck, the shotgun safely stowed in the back of the truck, Clark turned in his seat to face the agent. "When you told them that June was found in the cave, Will took a step back then folded his arms against his chest. He looked defensive . . . when you mentioned the child had been murdered, he turned pale and he started sweating. He knows something."

"I agree." Booth backed down the driveway and out onto the lane. "My gut tells me he killed June or he knows who did but I need evidence that will stand up in court."

"I'll have Hodgins examine the weapon and try to get DNA and fingerprints from the gun." Clark sighed. "Of course, the gun belongs to Cedrick Wills, so I expect his prints to be on it."

Slowly nodding his head, Booth knew that the investigation had just begun. "If the shotgun was cleaned months ago and no one is supposed to have used it since then, then if anyone else's fingerprints and DNA are on the weapon that will be a problem for that person . . . I'm hoping that the techs or Hodgins have found other evidence to point to the killer."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The day had been long and Booth had a headache. While he lay in bed, he called his partner to see how her day was going. "Hey, it's Booth."

 _I've just finished breakfast and I was waiting for your call before I go to the cave. Are you doing well?_

"A little headache I guess." Booth sighed. "That case I'm working on . . . I might have a suspect, but I'm waiting for proof. Everyone is doing their best, but I just want it to be over. I want to arrest the sorry son of a bitch that thought it was okay to shoot a little girl and dump her body in a cave." He was upset and he couldn't seem to settle down. He'd worked child cases before, but this one felt odd. Something was bothering him and he didn't know why.

 _I am confident you will find the killer, Booth. You're a brilliant investigator._

"Thanks, I . . . I guess I'm taking this personally and I shouldn't. All murder cases are important." The look on the child's face when Cam had uncovered her body was on his mind. "She looked horrified when she died. Like she couldn't believe what was happening was happening . . . she was ten years old and had already lost her parents. She never had a chance to be happy."

 _I'm sorry I'm not there to help with the case, Booth._

"No, don't apologize. What you're doing is important." Booth knew that he had made Brennan feel guilty and he hadn't meant to do that. "You need to be there. I have Clark and Cam working the case with me and we'll solve it. I have the possible murder weapon and Hodgins is still looking at the clothes and blanket that the child was wrapped in. We're good, Bones. Don't feel like you have to be here. You're going to make history there and I'm proud of you. I really am."

 _Thank you . . . We haven't found anything yet._

"You will, Bones." His head throbbing, Booth needed to end the call and go to bed. "Hey, I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good luck today."

 _I love you too, Booth._

Ooooooooooooooo

A/N: I know a few readers are anxious that Brennan is away from home. She will return in the next chapter.

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	66. Chapter 66

(After 'The Beginning in the End')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Per Booth's request and with a court order from Judge Myers, Cedrick Wills and his son William's fingerprints had been taken by Sheriff Rankin and emailed to Booth who had passed them on to Hodgins. The Sheriff had also taken a swab from the inside of the two suspects mouths and sent them by express mail to the Lab along with the original fingerprints on cards.

Hodgins found two sets of prints on the shotgun owned by Cedrick Wills that was used to kill June Wills. Cedrick Wills and his son William Wills prints were on the stock but only Will's print was on the trigger.

After arresting the young man, Booth had him brought to the Hoover and placed in an interrogation room. Will was afraid, but he demanded representation and Booth made sure it was provided. Once the lawyer was in the room with his client, Booth and Clark entered the room and sat down at the table facing Will and the lawyer, Paul Kelly. "You've been read your rights."

"I didn't do anything." Will was frightened. He didn't want to go to prison and he didn't want to die. "I promise I didn't do anything."

Dispassionately, Booth opened a folder he was carrying and glanced at the sheet on top. "Your father swore that he cleaned his shotgun a year ago and hasn't used it since then. There were two sets of prints on the gun, yours and his."

His heart racing Will folded his trembling hands under his arms pits. "I . . . I . . . I borrowed it to go hunting, but I didn't tell Dad. I didn't kill June. I promise."

Flipping the paper over, Booth picked up several pictures and placed them on the table so Will and his lawyer could see them. "There were footprints in the cave. They match a pair of shoes you own."

"Everyone owns shoes and Mr. Wills shoe size is . . ." Paul looked down at the young man's foot. "Is average for this country. Thousands of men wear shoes size 10 and his brand of shoe, I'm sure of that."

"I said they were a match, not similar or like the shoe prints we found in the cave." With a slight smile on his face, Booth placed more pictures on the table, this time there were various shots of June's body. "You grabbed her wrist and dug your fingernails into her skin. You were pretty angry with her. Apparently, she either pulled her hand away from your grip or you let her go. When she removed her hand from your grip, her fingernails scrapped your hand. We found your DNA under some of her fingernails."

Feeling sick, Will licked his lips. "We got into an argument and I grabbed her arm. I shouldn't have done that since she was just a little kid, but I didn't kill her. I didn't do that."

"You have an answer for everything don't you?" Booth placed a picture of the broken stalagmite on the table and pointed to a dried rusty colored smear on it. "The cave was dark. You carried her body for several miles and when you were in the cave you had to use your flashlight to see. When you got far enough into the cave, you dropped her body near that stalagmite and when you turned, you hit your hand or arm on the rock. It's rough as a cob and that kind of rock can cut you if you're not careful. My techs found the dried blood and they did a DNA test using the sample you provided the Sheriff. It's a match for your blood."

Terrified, Wills started to shake. "It was an accident."

Ready to hear the young man's side of the story, Booth leaned back against his chair, his arms crossed against his chest. "Go ahead, explain what happened."

"I don't think you should say anything. You have the right to remain silent." Paul Kelly didn't think it was in the best interests of his client to say anything.

Unable to keep quiet, Wills was desperate to make Booth see that he hadn't done anything wrong. "She was always following me around. She was ten and I'm eighteen. It looked bad even if she was my cousin . . . my sister. I took Dad's gun to go hunting and she followed me. When I heard her, I walked back and grabbed her arm and I yelled at her. I told her to leave me alone, but she had to do things her way." Swallowing, he thought about what came next and he wanted to throw up.

"She followed me anyway and I didn't know it . . . I was hunting birds. I wasn't supposed to, but a friend of mine wanted some wild meat and it's not deer season so I said I could get it by going after some birds. Anyway, I heard some noises in the brush to my left and I pulled the trigger just as June came out of the brush. She was close, maybe six feet . . . She screamed . . . oh God . . . she screamed and she fell down and she died. I killed her and I panicked. My Mom and Dad loved her like a daughter. They'd always wanted a daughter and when June's parents died my parents jumped at the chance to adopt June. I couldn't tell them I killed her. They'd hate me . . . they're going to hate me now . . . I took a quilt that my mother made me and I wrapped June in it and I carried her to the caves. I wrapped her up real good so the animals wouldn't eat her and I went home. I was going to tell someone, but I didn't know how to do it. I didn't want to get blamed for killing her. She was the one following me and she's the one that ignored my orders and how am I responsible for killing her when I didn't know she was there? How is this my fault?"

"You shot her by accident and then you hid the body?" Booth wasn't sure what to make of the young man's story. "You shot her, wrapped up her body in a blanket, carried her to the caves and left her body there. You have to know that makes you look guilty. If it was an accident then why not call the police? Your parents would understand if it was an accident."

His voice shaky, Will shook his head and tried to explain. "They love her don't you get that. They love her more than me. They've always wanted a daughter and I killed her and now they don't have a daughter anymore and it's my fault. I didn't do it on purpose, but it's my fault anyway. I didn't want them to hate me. I didn't want my mother to hate me because I took June away from her."

Clark had been silent until now. "Could you take us to where you killed her?"

Curious, Booth turned to look at the anthropologist. "It's been weeks since she was killed. It's probably rained a few times."

"I'd like to look at the area where June was shot." Clark stared at Will while talking to Booth. "He can show us where he stood, where June was standing. We should be able to find blood in the soil since the child bled out. A child the size of June would have about the same amount of blood as an adult woman. If I'm shown where she died, I can assure you I will find her blood. If what he is saying is true, we should find blood near some bushes. If she died in the open or someplace else then his story won't hold up."

Impressed, Booth turned to face Will. "Draw us a map. We can check out what you said and if what you said is true, then you won't be charged with murder. Desecration of a body and not reporting the shooting, but not murder."

Since he had nothing to lose, Will nodded his head. "It's a mile from my house. I can take you there. My map making skills suck." This was his chance to prove he hadn't murdered his cousin and he was going to take it. If his parents hated him after this then he'd have to live with it. He wished June had never come to live with them, but it was too late for that. She had and he was the one that shot her. "It was an accident. She should have gone home like I told her to."

"She was ten years old, Will." Booth shook his head. "She was a child. You should have made sure she had gone home. Better yet, you shouldn't have stolen your father's shotgun to go hunting in the first place."

Tears falling down his cheeks, Will closed his eyes and tried to stop the tears from falling. "I shouldn't have done a lot of things, but I can't undo them now."

Ooooooooooooooo

After working a very long day, Booth entered the house, placed his keys in the basket on the small table by the door and headed towards the kitchen. He was almost there when he realized that he'd heard a noise coming from the bedroom. Drawing his gun from his holster, he moved silently across the living room, down the hallway and once he was near the bedroom, paused and listened. A thud confirmed he wasn't in the house by himself. Stepping into the doorway his gun drawn, Booth spied his partner standing near her dresser, holding several folded shirts in her hand. "What are you doing here?"

Startled, Brennan dropped the shirts in the opened drawer and turned to face her mate. "I wasn't accomplishing anything at the dig. I've been there for twelve weeks and we haven't uncovered anything that remotely proves that humans or hybrids lived there. No pottery, no stone tools, nothing man made. I realized that I was of more use here than at the dig . . . and I missed you."

Placing his gun back in his holster, Booth stepped into the room and into Brennan's embrace. "I've missed you. God, I missed you so much."

Their kisses were deep and passionate and in short order, they were undressed and in bed. They had missed each other so much and their love making was frantic. They had missed being intimate and both were desperate to connect with their partner, their lover. They wanted to feel their partner's bare skin, feel the heat from their bodies as they tried to defy physics and make two objects occupy the same space. They tried and they came as close as possible, as close as the laws of physics allowed.

Satisfied for the moment, Booth held Brennan in his arms and laughed. "Welcome back."

"I'm glad to be back . . . If I had known that was how you were going to greet me when I came back, I would have come back sooner." Content, Brennan sighed and knew that if she went on any future digs they would have to be for shorter durations. She was in a relationship that was important to her. She had never loved anyone like she loved Booth and though she hesitated to say that their relationship would last a life time, she certainly hoped it was possible.

Booth couldn't believe that Brennan had come home so early, but he was thankful that she was there. Their phone calls had helped a little and he tried to give her as much positive support as he could but having her on the other side of the planet had made him feel lonely and anxious. He wasn't there to protect her and he worried that she would take unnecessary risks. She was brave and independent and she was fearless. Too fearless for her own good and that fearlessness made him afraid for her. Now that she was back, he could relax, at least for now.

Brennan hadn't realized just how much she had missed her mate until he was safely in her arms. Her biggest fear had been that he didn't have proper back up. She didn't trust anyone to watch Booth's back except her and she had dreamt more than once that her partner had died going after some criminal that wasn't worth ten of him. "I told them that if they find any bones that need to be examined, they can call me and I'll go back, but for now, I am home and plan to stay here for the foreseeable future."

"Well, that sounds like an excellent plan, Bones." Booth kissed the side of her head and smiled. "I got my partner back. Clark is pretty good, but you're the best forensic anthropologist in the country and I like to work with the best."

"The world." Brennan felt that she had proved to the world that there was no one better than she was in her field. "Mr. Edison is still learning in his field of study, but I think someday he will be at the top of his field. His time will come."

Shifting so he was more comfortable, Booth still held Brennan close by his side and thought about how lucky he was to have someone in his life that loved him the way that Brennan did. "Are you hungry? I know it's late, but I can order Chinese takeout."

Comfortable, Brennan shook her head. "No, I'd rather lay here next to you. I really hated sleeping alone. I'm used to you being near me and it feels wrong to sleep alone."

"Yeah, me too. I hated it that you weren't in bed with me every night." His stomach rumbling, he chuckled, "Okay, I know that wasn't very romantic, but I haven't eaten since this morning and I'm hungry." Sitting up, he looked down at his lover. "I'm going to order some food. I'm going to put on some pants when our food comes so I don't shock the delivery person and then we're going to eat. Don't think I didn't notice that you've lost weight."

"Well, it's hard to eat when everything is damp. It never seemed to stop raining." Her stomach grumbled. "I guess I'm hungry too."

Out of bed, Booth made the call and placed their order. "Good, food is on the way . . . I missed you Bones."

"I missed you too, Booth."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	67. Chapter 67

(After 'The Beginning in the End')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Standing in the doorway of Brennan's office, Booth admired the way she was wearing her hair. She had cut it shorter for the dig in Maluku and it looked cute on her. "Bones, I'm going to borrow Clark and check out where William Wills said he shot his cousin . . . I mean sister."

"Don't you want me to go with you?" This was a surprising turn of events. Brennan had assumed she would be going into the field with her partner on any cases assigned to him as soon as she got back from Maluku.

"Well, I would, but the kid worked this case with me and I don't think it would be fair to push him out the door before we solved the case." Booth wanted to be fair to Clark since the man had helped him with this particular case. "I think he should finish up this case and then we'll work the next case. Do you understand?"

Brennan understood that her mate was a generous man who tried to be fair when he dealt with other people. "Yes, I do. If you need my help then let me know. I plan to work in Bones Storage today unless Cam needs me for something else."

Relieved that Brennan wasn't upset, Booth walked into the office, leaned on the desk and kissed her. "Welcome back Bones. I'm glad you came back."

The kiss was chase, but they were in her office. "I'm glad I'm back too."

Once he was gone, Brennan found Cam in her office. "I'd like to look at the remains of June Wills if I may." She had thought about the case and she didn't want to interfere with it, but she thought it might be best if she examined the remains just to make sure the reports were accurate if a trial was necessary.

"She's in the autopsy room, cabinet C." When Cam had entered the Lab that morning and found Brennan in her office, she had been shocked since she had thought her star employee would be gone for another seven months. Brennan had explained that the dig had been unsuccessful so far and she felt that it would be better if she came back and resumed her work at the Lab where her skills were needed. "Are you just curious?"

"Curious, yes I'm curious." Brennan was certain that Clark and Cam had done their jobs properly, but she wanted to make sure. Once she was out in the hallway, she made her way down to the autopsy room, pulled the drawer open for cabinet C and found the body of June Wills. Lifting the body from the tray and placing it on the cart, she wheeled it over to the stainless steel table, laid the body out, donned some latex gloves and began her examination. The flesh had not been removed and since that was Cam's call, she would deal with the body as is was.

Oooooooooooooooo

Will Wills has led Booth and Clark to a patch of woods that looked much like the rest of the surrounding wooded area. Standing in a small clearing, Will pointed at the bush located seven feet from him and sighed. "I was standing about here. Maybe closer, maybe a foot closer. I don't know, it's kinds of a blur . . . She was standing there when I shot her. She fell next to the bush. I dropped my gun and ran over to where she was lying, but I could see she was dead. I couldn't do anything about it."

Kneeling on the forest floor, Clark removed a trowel from his backpack and began to dig in the soil. It didn't take long to find the blood. Removing containers from his backpack he scooped the blood soaked soil into several of the containers, wrote the date, time and a location on each container with a water proof marker. He also gathered some of the grass he had dug up with the soil and placed that in some containers too. Next he dug outward trying to determine how wide the blood stain was. Once that was complete, he removed a camera from his backpack and took pictures of the ground and the bush nearby.

Patiently waiting for Clark to finish, Booth kept an eye on Will to made sure he didn't go anywhere. So far it seemed that what he had said was true, but there was still work to be done back at the Lab to make sure if what Will had said was truthful.

"Okay, I think I've got everything." Standing next to the bloody dirt patch, Clark took a picture of where Will was standing and then a picture of the ground and bush from where Will was standing. "Hodgins can do one of his experiments to check this out."

"Can I go home now?" Will had passively watched Clark while the man worked and now he felt it was time to release him. "It was an accident."

After he made a few quick notes, including a quick sketch of the scene, Booth flipped the notebook closed and placed it in his jacket pocket. "I'm afraid not. We have a few tests to do before we can release you."

Annoyed, Will crossed his arms against his chest. "It was an accident. How many times do I have to say that? Yes, I shouldn't have borrowed my father's gun, but none of this was planned. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"If that's true then you don't have anything to worry about do you?" Pointing back the way they had come, Booth wanted to make sure Will was in front of him during the trip to his SUV. "Let's go back to my truck. I'll take Clark back to the Lab so he can start the tests and I'm taking you back to the Hoover. If it all checks out then you'll be freed soon."

His hands jammed in his pants pockets, Will kicked a small rock away from the path he planned to take then walked back to the SUV. "This isn't fair."

"You carried her body to a cave instead of calling the police." Booth glanced back behind him to make sure Clark was following him then continued to follow Will. "Actions have consequences."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan was concerned after looking at the wounds on the chest and stomach area. June had supposedly been shot with a shotgun from six feet away. Was that six feet from where Will was standing or six feet from the end of the barrel? After measuring the shot and the width of the wound Brennan had some questions.

"Dr. Hodgins, if someone were hit from a shotgun standing six feet away from their victim what would be the ramifications."

Startled, Hodgins had not known Brennan was in his office until she started talking. Turning, he faced her and smiled. "Well, there are a lot of variables involved. Six feet from the shooter or the end of the barrel? Does the shotgun have a choke on it, if so what kind of choke? Is it just for skeet or is it a full choke . . . a special choke? What kind of shot was used? Birdshot, slugs, pellets? You can judge how much the shot was compressed by looking at the victim. Now in the June Wills case, I looked at the shotgun that Clark gave me and it has a special choke used for turkey hunting. I'd say the choke is 1500 micrometers which means the shot comes out of the barrel tight and would be tight until it reached at least 6 feet. Anyone shot with that kind of shotgun close up would die instantly. In June's case, she was close enough so it was a deadly shot. I can tell you that the shotgun that killed June used birdshot. Cam gave me ample samples."

For a moment, Brennan thought about what Hodgins said. "And if the shooter was closer than six feet? The dispersal would be even tighter the closer to the object it hit?"

"Yes, of course." Curious, Hodgins cocked his head the side and considered the questions he'd been asked. "You think she was closer than the six feet her brother said she was? I didn't look at the body, just the clothes, but they were shredded where the pellets went in. It was concentrated in the chest and stomach area. Just a few pellets on the sleeves of her shirt."

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan knew that she had been right. "How long is the shotgun that Mr. Wills used?"

"Well, it's a Mossberg 500 field model so it's 47 ½ inches long. That's butt to the end of the barrel." Intrigued, Hodgins glanced over at the gun case where he had the shotgun locked up. "How close do you think he was standing?"

"Six feet would be 72 inches." Brennan frowned for a second and she thought about what her conclusion was. "The shotgun is 47 ½ inches long. Mr. Wills wasn't very precise when he said he was six feet from June. If she was six feet from him, she would have been 25 ½ inches from the end of barrel. I think he was closer than that. June was probably 12 inches or less from the barrel."

A shiver ran down his back and he contemplated what Brennan said. "Why lie about that? Do you think he was just shaken and didn't realize he was that close?"

"I don't know." Brennan sighed. "When Clark brings back the soil samples, please sift through it and look for anything out of the ordinary."

"What . . . Oh, I see." Hodgins nodded his head. "Got it. I'll let you know what I find."

"Thank you. I will wait until you can provide me that information before I talk to Cam and Clark."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth found Brennan in Bones Storage. "Hey, how was your day?" He glanced at his watch. "It's late. Want to stop somewhere to eat or would you like to get takeout?"

Glancing at the wall clock over the door, Brennan realized that she had lost track of time. "Let me add some notes to the file for this set of remains and I'll be ready to go. I think takeout would be fine. I'm not in the mood to cook anything and I assume you aren't either."

Leaning against the doorway, Booth watched Brennan take care of the old remains. "We found the site where June Wills was killed. Clark got some soil samples for Hodgins. There was a lot of blood in the dirt . . . My gut tells me that something is wrong. I looked at the bushes and they didn't look like they'd been hit by shotgun pellets. If Will was six feet away from June there should have been some dispersal of the shot."

"Unless he was less than six feet from where June was standing. I don't think he was telling you the truth." Brennan placed the box of remains back in the empty slot in the wall.

"I looked at where he said he was standing and where the bush was and it would have probably been about six feet from the end of the barrel, but I don't think that's right." Booth had been thinking about that off and on all day. "Either he was confused or he was lying. He had to have been closer than that. Maybe he was six feet from his sister which means the end of the barrel of the shotgun was closer."

After she removed her latex gloves, she tossed them in the bio-hazard bin. "Hodgins is examining the soil and he should be able to give you some information to help with that question."

Pursing his lips, Booth stared at his partner for a few seconds. "You asked Hodgins to look for something. You looked at the body, didn't you?"

A slight smile on her face, Brennan nodded her head. "Yes, I did. I was merely curious . . . I have the same questions you have about how far Mr. Wills was standing from the body. If I am right, Hodgins will be able to prove that Mr. Wills lied about what happened."

"You know, I really am glad you're back Bones." Kissing her, he shook his head. "We make a great team."

"Yes, we do Booth."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	68. Chapter 68

(After 'The Beginning in the End')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

After he'd opened the containers containing the bloody soil that Clark had dug up where June Wills had died, Hodgins set up a DNA test to make sure they weren't looking at animal blood. They only had William Wills' word that his sister/cousin had died in that particular spot in the forest.

Once that was being processed, Hodgins emptied the containers in a sterile plastic box and began sifting the caked dirt to see what he could find. Since the child had supposedly been shot by her brother/cousin while she was standing in front of the barrel of his shotgun and fell on the ground afterward, he expected to find soil, composted vegetation, rocks, maybe a worm or two and whatever insects were in the soil when Clark collected it as well as the blood infused dirt.

He knew that Brennan was looking for something specific, but he chose to examine everything with an open mind. It took him fifteen minutes to find what she had anticipated. "Yep, this is not good." Placing his find in a small container, he continued to sift the soil looking for more. Once he was done, he closed the lid and lightly shook the container listening to a faint rattle. "This is not good at all."

His task complete, Hodgins carried the container to Brennan's office, but found her office empty. As he left the room, a technician waved at him and pointed down the hallway. "Dr. Brennan is in Limbo working on one of the sets of remains."

"Thanks." Hurrying down to Bones Storage, Hodgins found his friend leaning over a set of dark stained bones. It looked like the remains had been in contact with a lot rotting vegetation which had colored the bones. "I finished sifting the soil . . . I think you'll find this interesting." Hodgins held up the small container and jiggled it.

After she removed her latex gloves and tossed them in the biohazard bin, she moved closer to the entomologist and took the container from him. "Six."

"Yeah but considering the force they would have needed to move through the body, I think six is about right." Hodgins shook his head. "June didn't have a chance, Dr. B. No chance at all."

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan stared at the contents in the container and knew that it was time to talk to Cam and Clark. She'd have Clark talk to Booth afterwards since the younger man was still working with Booth on June's case. She considered it a good training experience for Clark. She knew that he had a spark of brilliance and that someday he might be after her job. She would fight hard to keep him at bay, but for now, that was in the future and Clark needed the experience this case was giving him. "I will arrange to talk to Cam and Mr. Edison."

"Booth is going to be upset." Hodgins had been around Booth long enough to know the agent hated death cases involving children and he became obsessed trying to get justice for the children. "I won't blame him either. This is sick."

"Yes, it is." Brennan sighed. She would deal with Booth when she had to. Until then this wasn't her case and she would stand by and console him if he needed it.

Oooooooooooooooooo

He'd been a little embarrassed when he'd realized that he'd assumed that the child had been standing in front of the shotgun when she'd been shot, but Brennan had pointed out to him that in the past, she had worked for various governments who had hired her to identify the victims of pogroms and death squads. She was familiar with the many ways that humans could be killed and her experience had caused her to ask questions about the force of the shotgun blast and where June was when she had been shot. Clark decided that he had a lot to learn and he was grateful that he was working for the leading forensic anthropologist in the country.

Sitting in the interrogation room with Booth, Clark pursed his lips and looked at William 'Will' Wills. _His parents could have found a better name for him._

Impatient to begin the interview, Booth reminded Will's lawyer that his client had been read his rights and that he had said that he understood them. Once the lawyer had nodded his head, Booth turned his attention towards his suspect. "I had some experts look at the dirt that we found where June died. They found blood which we expected, but we also found these." Booth held up the small clear plastic container and gently shook it. The rattle was soft but distinct. "Birdshot . . . we found it in the soil where June lay."

"She fell down, so yeah, of course you found birdshot." Will didn't see what the Agent was trying to prove. "You know I was using birdshot that day."

Removing some pictures from a folder resting on the table in front of him, he flipped them around so Will and his lawyer could see them.

Appalled, Paul Kelly blanched and swallowed several times to keep his lunch down. "Is this necessary? What are you trying to prove by showing my client those pictures? He already admitted that he shot his sister and it was an accident."

His gaze upon the young man sitting across from him, Booth ignored the lawyer. "If June was standing near the bush when she was shot, I would have expected some of the leaves on the bush to tear when they were hit by some of the birdshot, but I didn't see any signs of that. None at all."

Still not sure what Booth was talking about, Will shrugged his shoulders. "She caught most of the shot. She was six feet from me which is pretty damn close."

"When you showed me where you were standing you were seven feet from the bush . . . Maybe you were confused . . . Did you mean she was six feet from the end of the barrel or is it possible that she was six feet from you?" Booth watched the young man closely to see his reaction. He couldn't believe that Will didn't realize the significance of the birdshot.

"From the end of barrel, I told you." Aggravated, Will huffed his irritation. "Look my Dad has a choke in the barrel for turkey shooting. The shot is tight so it can hit the bird from a distance."

A slight smirk on his face, Booth folded his hands in front of him and shook his head. "If she had been standing six feet from the barrel and not you, there would have been some stray pellets that missed her and hit the leaves behind her. The bush was dense. There should have been some damage."

"Oh, come on." Angry, Will leaned forward. "It wasn't seven feet. Okay? I know where I was standing. She was standing six feet from the end of the barrel and she took the full brunt of the birdshot."

Slowly, Booth picked up the container, shook it and placed it back on the table. "This birdshot was found in the ground where June lay. Not on top of the ground . . . in the ground . . . below the surface . . . Her blood was there and so were these. You stood over her with the shotgun, aimed it at her chest and fired. The barrel was about 12 inches from her chest and when the birdshot blasted through her body some of the birdshot made it out of her back and penetrated into the ground. The only way the birdshot could have got into the ground was if she had been lying on her back and you shot her . . . This was no accident. You murdered her."

The blood drained from his face and Will started to panic. "No, no . . . she was standing in front of my gun. I hit her when she came through the bushes. It was an accident."

"You were the one that told me that your parents loved June more than you." Booth was angry, but he controlled his temper. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardize his case. June deserved justice. "What's the matter? Were you jealous that June was their favorite and you were being pushed out? You said she followed you around and you didn't like it . . . she followed you anyway. You got mad and grabbed her wrist. You shook her and you threw her to the ground. You stood over her, you aimed the shotgun at her and you shot her. She didn't have a chance . . . A little girl against a grown man with a shotgun."

Nauseous, Will turned away and threw up on the floor.

Clark tried not to react and thanked God the idiot had turned his head to be sick. "The blast tore through her body with such force, it obliterated her heart, lungs, stomach, most of her intestines. She died instantly, but she saw it coming and she probably screamed." He felt sick, but he wouldn't give Will Wills the satisfaction of seeing him being anything but professional. He was going to make sure June was avenged.

Wiping his hand across his mouth, Will turned to face Booth. "I told her to go back. I told her to leave me alone and go back. She said she didn't have to. June just ignored me whenever I told her to do something. I'm a man and she was a kid and she never gave me any respect . . . That day, I told her to go back home because I was bird hunting and she could get hurt . . . She . . . she said I better make sure she didn't get hurt because Mom and Dad would never forgive me . . . I grabbed her wrist and I shook her. I told her that if she got hurt it would be her fault and no one would blame me. She just yelled at me. She said that I was mean and I . . . and I was a terrible brother and she wished that I had died instead of her parents. I threw her down on the ground and I started to walk away, but she yelled at me that she was going to tell my parents that I had hurt her . . . I walked back over to where she lay and I shot her . . . It's like I was watching a movie or something. It didn't seem real. I mean I pulled the trigger, but it wasn't me . . . I shot her and I saw what I had done and I knew that what I had done was unforgiveable. I let a little kid make me so mad I killed her and I couldn't fix it."

Weeping Will knew that his life was over. "I ran home to tell my mother, but she wasn't home. No one was home. I grabbed the quilt from my bed and ran back to where June lay. I wanted to cover her up so animals couldn't eat her until I could get someone to come and look at her. I wrapped her up and then I went into a fog . . . I picked her up and just started walking. I don't know why but soon I was at the caves and I carried her inside. I walked until I thought my arms would fall off, she was heavy for a little kid . . . I placed her down and . . . and I left her there. I walked home, took a shower, washed my hair, changed my clothes and I took the clothes I was wearing when I carried June and put them in the burn barrel and I burned them. When my parents came home, I didn't mention June. I didn't say anything when it got late and they were asking me where June was. I didn't say anything when the Sheriff came to the house later that night. I didn't say anything even though my mother and father cried every day that June was missing . . . I let them cry. I don't know why I shot June. I let a little kid make me so mad that I killed her. I don't get it. I really don't."

Oooooooooooooooooo

The case was over and Booth had done the best he could to get June some justice. Her family was a wreck, her brother was going to go to prison and her parents had lost both their son and their adopted daughter. He felt their pain, but there wasn't anything else he could do for them. He had his own painful past and he didn't need their burden too.

"I'm glad that you were able to find out who killed June." Brennan sat next to Booth in their living room and held his hand. He'd been upset ever since William Wills had confessed to what he had done. She knew that Booth was trying to let it go, but this case had been hard on him. She should have insisted that she take over for Clark so that she could be with Booth when he had heard the confession, but she had thought it was a good teaching moment for Clark. "Her parents can give her a proper burial and not worry about where she is." She had worried for years that her parents had been killed and buried in a nameless plot of land. Time had fixed that problem for her, but not everyone was that lucky. "Not knowing if June was alive or dead . . . it's better to know either way."

Reminded that Brennan had gone for years wondering where her parents were only to find her mother's remains at the Jeffersonian, he knew that she understood the plight of Cedrick and Carol Wills. "They get closure. It might not be what they were looking for, but they have answers now." Glad that Brennan was home, Booth moved her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I missed you and I missed working with you. Clark was okay, but it was you that figured out what Will had done. I knew that something was wrong with Will's story, but I needed that added clue to get me on the right path . . . I'm sorry Malucky was a bust. Maybe the next time it won't be."

"Maluku, Booth." Brennan sighed and realized that there might not be a next time. She didn't really enjoy being away from Booth and the Lab for long periods of time. What they did was important. "It wasn't meant to be . . . and I'm fine with that. I'm home now and we can continue our partnership. Our very productive partnership."

"Yeah, we are the best." Booth smiled at the smug look on Brennan's face. He loved her confidence, her assuredness, her belief that she was the best in her field. "Max called and he's on the way to Alaska for his reunion. He wanted you to know so you wouldn't worry about where he is."

Slowly nodding her head Brennan realized that for all his faults, it was nice to know where her father was. It's the unknown that she had feared the most growing up.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	69. Chapter 69

(Before 'The Mastodon on the Room')

A/N: this chapter is rated T for language.

I don't own Bones.

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For some reason that Booth didn't understand Colonel Pelant had decided to try again to talk him into signing a contract with the Army to train troops in Afghanistan. The man showed up at the coffee cart near the reflecting pool and Booth was so angry he walked away before he hit the man. The Colonel had been one of his former brigade commanders and he owed the man respect for that, but his harassment broke a trust between them and Booth wasn't going to allow the man to bully him into leaving the country for a year. He was in a relationship that he wanted to work and he would not leave Brennan for a year. She had returned from Maluku for him and he would not turn around and leave her behind. Determined to stop the harassment, Booth knew he would have to get creative.

The next day, the Colonel walked into the Royal Diner and sat down across from Booth. "Look Master Sergeant I don't think you get how much we need you. We have people dying, brothers in arms . . ." Before he could continue, Booth held up his hand.

"Enough . . . let me tell you how this is going to go." Booth stared at the Colonel with a feral look that made the Colonel feel nervous. Pelant knew who he was dealing with and he knew what Booth was capable of. "What you are going to do is you're going to leave me alone and never bother me again."

Attempting to put some humor in to the situation, Pelant chuckled. He was a colonel and it wasn't likely that Booth would come after him. He was an FBI Agent and he had a lot to lose if he did. "Or what? What will you do to me? You're a Federal Agent. If you do attack me, that will be the end of your career."

His dark eyes glinting, Booth pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, dialed a number and waited. "Sir, the Colonel is back . . . I told him to fuck off, but he thinks he has me cornered . . . yes Sir." Handing his phone to Pelant, Booth sneered. "You really need to take this call."

Curious, Pelant took the phone. "This should be good for a laugh . . . This is Colonel Pelant . . . Sir . . . Sir I was given my orders by . . . yes Sir, I do know who you are, but . . . yes, Sir. I understand." Handing the phone back to Booth, the Colonel knew that he had pushed too hard and now his career might be in the tank. "I . . ."

His voice cold, his eyes dark and foreboding, Booth took the phone and placed it next to his coffee cup. "You forgot one of the truths about the Army. Never fuck with a Master Sergeant. We know people. We train people on the way up in their careers. We work with men and women fresh out of West Point who don't forget us as they rise up in rank. You fucked with the wrong man, Colonel. I advise you to get up and walk out of here and never bother me again. If you're not impressed with the person you talked to, I can have someone else talk to you that you might be impressed with . . . understand, Colonel?"

"Yes, Agent Booth. I understand." Booth was right. The Colonel had forgot that Booth had been in the military for a long time and that he had fulfilled missions that had seemed almost impossible. He had important people on his side and the Colonel would be lucky if this incident was forgotten and his career wasn't damaged. "I'm not the bad guy here, Booth. We have a problem in Afghanistan and I need people like you to help me fix that problem, but if you're done with the Army, then so be it."

"I'm done." Aggravated with the situation, Booth leaned back against his chair and glared at the Colonel. "Leave me alone and don't try to contact anyone in my family to try to get me to change my mind. If you do, I will go after your birds. I hope you know that it wouldn't end well for you."

He knew a threat when he heard one. He didn't know how he ended up being on the losing side of this, but Booth had found a way to get rid of him and that was the end of this. Standing, the Colonel leaned against the table and lowered his voice. "Just so you know, asking you to rejoin wasn't my idea. I was ordered to make contact with you and I was told to keep after you until you said yes . . . You surprised me, but I shouldn't have been. You win." Standing straight, the Colonel shook his head. "I'm disappointed in you, Booth, but I guess that doesn't matter."

"It doesn't matter at all." Booth watched the Colonel walk away and he knew that the Colonel wouldn't be back. Pelant might have the Secretary of State on his side, but he had the Secretary of Defense on his side and the man was the President's best friend. _Don't fuck with sergeants_. He'd learned that lesson early in his career. Apparently, the Colonel was a slow learner which was too bad for him.

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Excited to be working with Brennan again, Booth stood near the banks of the Potomac river and watched as his partner and Cam examine the body of a small child. As awful as it sounded, he was hoping that the child was Logan Bartlett. The two year old boy had disappeared one month ago and so far no one had found him. The FBI had put a lot of man hours into the search as well as local and state police, but the boy had disappeared without a trace. At this point, Booth felt that it was likely that the boy was dead and his grieving mother and father needed closure. They needed his body found. "Any chance this is Logan Bartlett?"

Carefully examining the cranium and facial features, Brennan shook her head. "I'd need to get x-rays done on the body, but I'm inclined to say that this child is closer to three years old and there is a high probability that the child is of Asian descent. We won't be able to let you know for certain until we've done a more thorough examination in the Lab . . . The body is probably decomposed enough that we can probably clean the bones after Cam does an autopsy. The guardians of this child would not be able to have an open casket ceremony anyway."

Although that sounded a little cold, Cam and Booth knew that Brennan hadn't meant it to be. She was professional and she separated herself from her feelings when dealing with victims, just like everyone else did that had been doing this job for years. "I think you're right, Dr. Brennan. We can make that decision once we're at the Lab."

Not sure if he was disappointed or not, Booth made a few notes, closed his notebook and placed it in his jacket pocket. "If this isn't Logan then we still don't know where he is. The longer he's missing the more likely he's dead. The odds aren't in his favor that we're going to find him alive."

"I agree." Cam studied the blanket still partially wrapped around the body of the child. "Right now, we need to know who this is . . . a body buried next to the Potomac. It seems like murder to me and I can see that the boy's chest has broken ribs, but I don't know if that is cause of death." Cam stood and removed her gloves motioning for Marcus Geier to come closer. "Marcus, once you and Hodgins have collected as much particulates that you can find please prepare the body for transportation. I need him delivered to the Lab."

"Got it Doctor." Marcus waited for Brennan to finish and move away from the body. Carefully and with as much respect as he could, he moved the little body into a body bag and closed it. He really hated dealing with the bodies of children since it reminded him of his own children at home. He knew that he would give his children an extra kiss and hug when he saw them again. He couldn't imagine losing them and he hoped he would never had to deal with that. Carrying the body to the van, he hoped that Booth was able to find out what had happened to the small tyke. Marcus wanted revenge for the toddler. He wanted the child to get justice.

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Once the autopsy was complete, Cam handed the remains over to Brennan so that the bones could be cleaned. The autopsy had not shown her how the child had died. The broken ribs had not damaged the child's lungs or heart, so that wasn't the likely cause of death. Numerous blood tests were ordered as well as a toxicology screening to see if the child had been poisoned. Cam was hoping that Brennan would find something in the cleaned bones. At this moment, the cause of death was a mystery and Cam didn't like that. She also ordered a DNA test to be done. Perhaps they would get lucky and find a match in the databases she had access to. She wasn't counting on it, but it would be nice if it happened.

Brennan had Wendell remove the flesh from the bones and after the body was laid out on the steal table, she began her examination. It only took her a few moments to determine that the child was of Asian descent. She had been right after all which didn't really surprise her. After all, she was very good at what she did. "The root completion of the canines, that plus the fusion of the vertebral elements suggests that the victim is over three years old."

"So, the child is definitely not Logan Bartlett." Wendell was studying the eye sockets and noted the rounded orbits.

"No, he isn't." She knew that everyone including Booth wanted Logan to be found, but Brennan had to disappoint them. "This child is showing Harris lines in his tibias. These lines of calcified material on the shinbone signifies childhood malnutrition." She placed the tibia down and leaned on the table. "Do you notice anything abnormal about the skull, Mr. Bray?" Waiting patiently, Brennan observed her intern pick up the skull and examine it.

Careful to hold the skull firmly in his hands, Wendell rotated the skull and looked at the cranium. "These lesions are caused by iron deficiency . . . anemia . . . um, porotic hypersistosis."

"Very good, Mr. Bray and what does that mean?" Using this as a learning opportunity for her intern, Brennan waited for Wendell to answer.

"Um, well . . . it's looking pretty good that this kid is an Asian immigrant." He hoped he was right. He didn't want to impress his mentor. He just didn't want to look like a fool.

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan watched her intern place the skull back on the table and turn to look at her. "If you mean that there is over an 85 percent chance that the victim was an Asian immigrant then yes you are correct. I want you to pull one of the teeth and prepare it for testing. I will check the isotopes in the child's tooth and see if I can determine what environment he was living in when he was younger. There is a chance it will pinpoint what country he comes from."

Wendell had heard of the test, but he had never seen it done and he was hoping to learn all he could about the procedure. "I'll get right on it, Dr. Brennan."

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Booth was worried that the child's death involved more than he had first thought. The little boy's hands had been bound in twine. That made him think the child had been kidnapped and abused before he'd been killed. His thoughts flashed to his young son and he knew that if anyone had ever kidnapped his boy and abused him, whoever had done it would be a dead man because he would kill him without hesitation. There was only so much a parent could take.

While he struggled through missing reports of children from the age of two to four years of age, Booth knew that it was possible no missing report had been filed. If the child was here illegally and he'd been kidnapped from parents who were in this country illegally, they may have been too afraid to report the child's disappearance to the police. If they were from a country where the police were the enemy, then Booth could see why this had happened. It didn't help him though. He needed the identity of the boy and so far, he hadn't found anyone in missing persons that might fit the child's description. His frustration was growing, but he knew that calling the Lab and hassling Brennan wouldn't get him anywhere. She was thorough and she had a process. He had to wait whether it was convenient or not and it was not convenient as far as Booth was concerned.

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Brennan had studied the x-rays trying to see if there was anything that she had missed. She knew that something was bothering her about the x-rays, but she wasn't sure what it was. She knew that her eyes were seeing something that her brain was not processing and it was very irritating. Focusing on the bone that was bothering her, she finally realized what was wrong. Pointing at the hyoid bone, Brennan could see the problem. "You see Angela, there is nearly imperceptible damage here."

Trying to see what Brennan was seeing, Angela stared at the bone and realized that there was something there. "He was strangled. You found cause of death."

"No, it's not cracked or crushed. It appears to be a small hole or a puncture." It was an odd finding, but that hole worried her. "I'll look at the actual bone."

Angela had been as patient as she could be. She had entered the examination room to give Brennan some fantastic news but had waited for Brennan to solve her mystery so she could have all of the anthropologist's attention. "Honey, I have some news for you." When Brennan didn't turn to look at her, Angela placed her hand on Brennan's arm and pulled at her trying to turn her. "Sweetie, I need to tell you my news before I bust."

Curious, Brennan turned face her friend. "I have noticed that you are agitated and I assumed that it is because you hate dealing with the death of children and looking at the x-rays was upsetting you."

"While that is horrible and you're not wrong, that's not why I'm agitated." After taking a deep breath, Angela grinned as she gave her best friend her news. "I'm pregnant. I found out last night. Dr. Weist's office called me to give me the good news. Hodgins and I are going to be parents."

So happy for her friend, Brennan hugged Angela. "Congratulations, Angela."

"Thank you." Hugging her friend, Angela felt some tears escape her lashes. "You're going to be an aunt, Brennan."

Surprised, Brennan shook her head. "We're not related."

"It doesn't matter, Honey." Her hand wiping the happy tears from her face, Angela patted the side of Brennan's face. "You're part of my family because I want you to be. You're the sister I never had and you're going to be my baby's aunt. It's that simple, Sweetie."

Feeling a rush of emotion, Brennan hugged her friend again. "Thank you, Angela. I think of you as my sister sometimes . . . Booth says that there are different ways to get a family and I agree with him. I made him part of my family and you are part of my family too."

"Hodgins was so excited when I told him, I thought he was going to faint." Angela laughed. "I don't think he ever thought about being a father and now that he is going to be one, he's kind of over the moon with happiness. I think he'll be a great father, Brennan. I think my baby is a very lucky baby to have a father like him."

"I think he or she will be very lucky to have both of you as parents, Angela." Brennan didn't believe in luck, but any child born to Hodgins and Angela would be loved and what more could anyone ask for?

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	70. Chapter 70

(The Mastodon in the Room)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Moping around his office wasn't accomplishing anything and Sweets knew that if and when Daisy came back from Maluku they would have to have a serious conversation about their future together. At that moment, Sweets wasn't sure they had a future together. Instead of returning with Brennan, Daisy had remained behind and he just didn't know what that meant. Since there wasn't anything he could do about the situation, he decided to see if Booth needed any help with his case. Knocking on Booth's door, he opened it and leaned in the opening. "Hey, do you need a profiler for your case?"

"I guess I could use a sounding board, sure." While Sweets settled on the chair in front of his desk, Booth closed a file he was working on. "The body of the boy found near the Potomac River was found with twine wrapped around his wrists and he was wrapped in a cheap blanket. Hodgins says it's not a blanket, but he's still trying to figure out what he wants to call it. We haven't identified the child yet. He's of Asian descent and shows signs of malnutrition. We have malnutrition in this country, but Bones did a test on one the boy's teeth and she says he's from North Korea . . . If he was in this country illegally, that might explain why his disappearance wasn't reported. I have a bunch of unknowns right now. Hell, we still don't know what cause of death is . . . Add to that Logan Bartlett is still missing and the press isn't letting that go. He's not my case, but everyone is trying to keep their eyes open just in case they come across something that points to where he is . . . too much time has passed and I'm afraid the odds are the boy is dead."

"The twine around the wrists seem to point to a sexual crime . . . you didn't mention any signs of abuse." Sweets watched Booth lean back and cross his arms against his chest. That seemed a little defensive. Did the agent think he was censoring him?

His lips pursed for a second, Booth thought about what he knew so far. "There weren't any signs that the boy was sexually abused in any way. He may have been malnourished when he was a baby, but Bones thought his fortunes had changed since then. His ribs were broken, but neither Bones or Cam know why. The broken bones weren't the cause of death. His body didn't show any signs of sexual abuse and Bones thinks he was getting the right foods before he died. His clothes were cheaply made but they weren't rags or anything."

"Interesting." Sweets wasn't sure what to say. "The boy was wrapped in a blanket, so that seems to show that whoever buried him cared about the boy. Not enough to make sure he had a proper burial, but they cared how he was put in the ground . . . Maybe the kidnapper was a relative or a family friend. He might have even liked the boy and that's why the child was buried with care. The Potomac River is lovely and whoever buried him wanted him to be buried in a nice place. It shows some caring. I don't think a stranger buried him."

It wasn't a lot of help, but Booth made a few notes anyway. "Okay." Ready to get back to his report, Booth leaned on his desk. "Thanks for dropping by."

Sweets knew he was being dismissed, but he really wanted to talk about Daisy with someone and Booth was a close friend. "Daisy is still in Maluku. Is she going to stay the full year?"

Not sure what Daisy was going to do, Booth shrugged his shoulders. "Don't have a clue, Sweets. Anything else?"

"Um, I guess not." Standing, the younger man sighed. "This sucks. Dr. Brennan came back and Daisy stayed. This totally sucks." Since Booth had turned his attention back to his computer, Sweets knew it was time to leave.

Once Sweets was gone, Booth turned to look at the picture of Brennan and Parker he had on his desk. He was glad that Brennan hadn't stayed in Maluku. He knew he would be as miserable as Sweets was if he had to live without her for a year. "I'm glad you came back Bones. I really am."

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Gathered near the body of the small victim, Brennan, Angela, Cam and Hodgins stood by while Wendell examined the x-rays of the child's throat. The odd imperfection in the child's hyoid was nagging both Wendell and Brennan and they wanted an explanation. Using a magnifier to look at the mark, Wendell tried to determine what the imperfection was. "Oh, oh I see what you were talking about." He pointed at the x-ray and let Brennan move closer to see what he was seeing. "It's a hole. Something small and sharp punctured the hyoid right here."

Brennan agreed. "I don't think he was stabbed. The damage isn't extensive enough."

Increasing the magnification, he pointed at the hole. "This looks like cellulose fiber in the wound." Wendell turned to look at Hodgins. "It's a hardwood . . . maybe oak or ash. You can probably tell if you remove it from the wound and examine it."

Curious, Angela leaned closer and looked at the x-rays. "What would cause a hole that small? Did he swallow a toothpick?"

Thoughtfully looking at the body of the child, Brennan touched the neck and frowned. "Combined with concomitant damage to the sternum, I propose that the following scenario occurred. The child swallows something. He chokes. He stops breathing. Someone tries to save him. The damage to the sternum was from the Heimlich maneuver."

It seemed logical, but Wendell was worried about the bound wrists. "What about him being tied up?"

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan leaned over to inspect the wrists of the child. "There are cultures that bind hands and feet as part of a burial ritual. The ancient Jews, some Asian cultures . . . I don't think the child was kidnapped or murdered. I think this was an accident or a case of neglect . . . We know he's Korean, probably North Korea since he was malnourished as a baby."

"The material the boy was wrapped in is a kind of polyester fabric." Hodgins rubbed his chin as the thought about it. "You can't sell it in this country because it's flammable. It's the kind of material used for outer wear in countries like North Korea. The thread that was used to bind his hands together is industrial embroidery thread." Snapping his fingers, Hodgins knew what the material was. "Sleeping bags or casket lining, something like that. We need to find an industrial sewing operation in the area. Look for a company using North Korean immigrants or has a connection to North Korea."

"I think we have the clues Booth needs to track down our victim." Relieved, Cam moved over to where the remains of the boy lay. "At least the child wasn't murdered."

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It didn't take long to track down where the material found wrapped around the child's body had been made. Once the company was found it only took a few minutes talking to the company's owner to discover who the child belonged to. One of the seamstresses' child had chocked on a wooden screw he had pulled from his bed. The mother and his grandfather had tried to save him, but the boy had died. Terrified to call the authorities, they had wrapped the child in the lining of a jacket and buried him in the prettiest spot they could find along the Potomac River.

After looking over the facts in the case, Caroline Julian agreed with Booth that it had been an accident and she wouldn't prosecute the mother or the child's grandfather. "The boy's mother has lost her baby. I don't think she needs to be punished for that Cher'. They escaped from North Korea and they don't know if they can trust the government here or not. Mrs. Dae and her father did the best they could considering the circumstances. The owner of the company is going to pay for the child's funeral and burial."

Grateful that the case was over, Booth met Brennan at the Founding Fathers for a drink before going home. "I'm glad it was an accident." Booth sipped some of his wine and placed the glass down on the table. "You did a great job finding the cause of death, Bones. As usual . . . We make a pretty good team."

"Yes." Brennan sipped some wine and stared at her partner before sipping more wine. "They can give the child a proper burial now." The case reminded her about her mother. "Dad buried my mother in a cemetery by himself because he was terrified of authority . . . he wanted to give Mom a dignified burial and he chose a shady part of the cemetery near a pond."

It seemed odd to be talking about Christine Brennan, but Booth could see how Myun Dae's burial might remind her of her mother. "Yeah, I guess . . . Max should have found a way to get her properly buried, but I guess he didn't want to risk it . . . it's bad when you can't trust anyone to help you . . . Still your mother is buried properly just like Myun Dae will be."

Brennan felt sad, but she knew she couldn't let their cases influence her life. It was important to step away from the sadness. "Daisy called me this afternoon. She's back home. She's given up on the dig too."

Surprised, Booth chuckled. "I'm sure Sweets will be happy about that. The guy has been moping around since you came back and Daisy didn't . . . Those two have some serious issues. They don't talk about the important stuff like they should. It's a mistake."

"Yes, it is." Brennan used to think that she and Booth didn't talk about the important things either, but since they had become partners in a romantic relationship, she knew that he tried to be honest with her about the things going on in his life and she tried to do the same. She didn't tell him everything, but she tried to share the important things. "Angela is pregnant."

"Wow, really?" A little surprised, Booth decided that Angela would make an interesting mother. "That's great news . . . I bet Hodgins is proud of himself." He liked Hodgins, but the man's paranoid beliefs made Booth wary of him sometimes. Since he and Angela had got married, it seemed like he'd settled down, so maybe being a father would help Hodgins grow up and step completely into this world and not the conspiracy world he believed in. "Those two are going to make parenthood look interesting." _I just hope not too interesting._

"They're happy." Brennan wondered if she would ever have a child. She worried that she might not be empathic enough, but if she did have a child in the future, she knew that she could count on Booth to help her. He was an excellent father to Parker and he would be an excellent father to their baby as well. Of that, she had no doubt.

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	71. Chapter 71

(The Mastodon in the Room)

Thank for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell if you're interested in it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Something had been bothering Booth about the Logan Bartlett case and he couldn't stop thinking about it. Not sure what he was looking for, Booth called up the case on his PC and read through the interviews. What struck him was the interview done with Logan's father. The man had said something that should have rung a bell earlier, but the case hadn't been his and he had other cases to work on at the time.

"I've been thinking about Logan Bartlett." Later that day, Booth was sitting in the Founding Father's having a drink with his partner after a busy day.

"The missing boy." Brennan had noticed Booth seemed to be distracted, but she had left him to work it out on his own. She felt that he was better at self-reflection that she was.

Slowly sipping some of his beer, Booth decided that he needed to say something. He needed a sounding board and Brennan was a good listener. "Yeah, I checked out the Missing Persons investigation into the father and the dad bought a car three days after his son disappeared." Carefully turning his thoughts over in his head, Booth sighed. "What kind of father does that? I mean your kid is kidnapped and you can calmly walk into a dealership and buy a car? Really? Who does that?"

"That does seem rather cold, doesn't it?" Brennan could see what Booth was trying to say. A man whose son was missing and who might be dead puts those worries aside and has the fortitude to buy a car? It was bizarre behavior. "I'm not sure I could do that."

"Me neither, Bones." His eyes hooded, Booth knew that he would have to check into this. Something was wrong.

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Not sure what he was looking for, Booth decided to observe Trevor Bartlett from a distance for a few hours and see if he could spot something out of the ordinary. At around four that afternoon, Trevor drove to Dover, Delaware, pulled into a driveway next to his brother's house, escorted a small boy from the house and took him to a nearby park to play. His son Logan was a blonde haired child and this child had dark hair, but Booth was still suspicious. Checking on Trevor's brother, he found that Gary was married and had one child and that was a daughter aged nine. "I believe you're in deep trouble you asshole."

As soon as he could, Booth arranged for Carrie Bartlett to drive to the park with him and his partner and once they were there they waited to see if Trevor would show up with the child. "Mrs. Bartlett, don't get your hopes up."

"Agent Booth, you told me to have hope and this is me hoping." Carrie was sitting on the back seat of the SUV and was busy scanning the park. Suddenly, Trevor appeared with the little boy in his arms. Carefully placing the child in a sandbox, he walked away, pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and made a phone call. Almost breathless with excitement, Carrie gripped Brennan's shoulder. "That's Logan . . . that's my baby."

Before Carrie could leave the car, Booth locked the doors from his seat. "Mrs. Bartlett please stay in the truck."

"But that's Logan. Trevor must have dyed his hair but I'd recognize my son anywhere." Carrie tried to open the door pleading with Booth to open the door. "I need my son. Please Agent Booth unlock the door."

"Mrs. Bartlett . . . Carrie, please trust me. We have to do this my way." His eyes on Trevor, Booth nudged Brennan with his arm. "I'm going to go after Trevor. You and Mrs. Bartlett get Logan while I'm between Trevor and the boy and bring Logan back here. I don't want Trevor near his son right now. We have no idea what he might do." Booth was disgusted. The man had kidnapped his own son because his wife had custody of the child. As far as Booth was concerned, Trevor had not done this out of love for his son, but because he hated his wife and he wanted her to suffer.

Once the doors of the truck were unlocked, Booth left it and quietly stalked Trevor. Making sure he was between the man and his son, Booth noticed Brennan hurry over to the sand box and kneel next to Logan while Trevor finally noticed that Booth was coming towards him. In a state of panic, Trevor turned and tried to run from Booth, but the agent chased him and threw himself on the kidnapper knocking him down on the ground. While Carrie Bartlett picked up her son and started to cry, Booth cuffed Trevor and snarled out the words of the Miranda to the kidnapper. Once he was done, he yanked him towards the SUV. "Not only are you in deep trouble, but so is your brother Gary. I hope prison time was worth torturing your wife for. They take a dim view of child abuse in prison."

Struggling, Trevor tried to escape, but it was hopeless and soon he was sitting next to the SUV on the ground while Booth waited for another FBI agent to show up and take custody of Trevor.

With tears of joy, Carrie held Logan in her arms and kept thanking Brennan and Booth for the return of her son. The boy, not sure what was going on, patted his mother's face and smiled. He hadn't seen her for months and he was so happy to be with her once more.

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"Two cases involving children solved in the same week . . . we're very good at what we do." Brennan was busy chopping vegetables for Pasta Primavera while Booth checked to see if the water in the large pot on the stove was boiling yet. "Mrs. Bartlett never suspected that her husband was that angry with her for gaining custody of their child . . . to take your child from his mother . . . I don't understand what he hoped to gain from doing that. Surely he must have realized that sooner or later someone would recognize the child living with Gary Bartlett was Logan Bartlett. The child's picture has been in the newspapers and on television for weeks."

Leaning against the counter, Booth watched Brennan finish cutting up the vegetables. "He didn't care. He didn't really want Logan you know. He just didn't want to lose anything to his wife. He hates Carrie so much that he couldn't stand the thought that she had Logan and he didn't. Luckily, Logan is young and he probably won't remember what happened to him. I'm just glad that Trevor didn't kill his son . . . his hate is so hot for his wife that I'm sure he might have killed Logan if it looked like he was going to lose the boy permanently."

"And Gary Bartlett, he said he was just helping his brother keep what was his." Brennan handed Booth the bowl of vegetables to start a sauté while she poured the pasta into the pot of boiling water. "He will be tried as an accessory for kidnapping . . . He may not see his own child for several years. She will grow up without her father . . . How is any of this logical?"

Stirring the vegetables in the skillet, Booth shook his head. "This kind of stuff is never logical Bones. This is out of control emotions . . . it's hate and vengeance and no one involved thought about the consequences. They never thought about what could go wrong with their plan. They only cared that Carrie was mourning for her son. They wanted her to suffer. They wanted her to think Logan was dead . . . it's pretty sick."

The pasta roiling in the boiling water, Brennan dipped a spoon in the pot and stirred it to make sure the pasta didn't stick to the bottom of the pot. "One child dead because of an accident and one child taken from his mother. One child died and mourned by his mother who couldn't save him and another child used as a prop to inflict pain on his mother . . . I don't know if I want to have a child . . . to risk the pain of losing a child . . . to not have any control over my happiness . . ."

"Hey, Bones." Booth moved closer to Brennan and placed his arms around her. "Hey . . . it's worth it. I've had Parker in my life for ten years and even though he doesn't live with me, he's in my life and I love him. If anything were to happen to him . . . God forbid, I mean I don't want anything to happen to my boy . . . but if it did, it wouldn't change how I feel about him. No matter what the future brings, I love Parker and I'm glad that I got to know him. If you ever have a baby, you'll see what I mean. The love you have for your child is special, there's a bond between them and you and it will always be there no matter how long you have that child in your life. Don't let the Trevor Bartletts of this world make you afraid to live your life. If you have a baby then great and if you don't then it wasn't meant to be, but we have each other. We're the circle and the circle will hold . . . okay?"

The smell of scorching vegetables drew Booth's attention back to the skillet and he stirred the vegetables vigorously to keep them from burning. "Our vegetables might be a little extra crispy tonight." Chuckling, he picked out two dark colored carrots and threw them in the sink. "I'm not crazy about cooked carrots anyway."

Amused, Brennan stirred the pasta and checked to see if it was ready yet. Still too al dente, Brennan placed the spoon back on the spoon rest. "You're right. I won't let what Trevor Bartlett did deter me. I would like a child and someday that may happen. For now, I am happy, Booth. You make me happy."

Leaning over, Booth kissed Brennan while keeping one eye on the vegetables. "You make me very happy, Bones. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Her cheeks a faint pink, Brennan returned his kiss. She knew that Booth was sincere and she knew that she could trust him. She had never trusted anyone until Booth came into her life. She had taken a chance and it turned out it wasn't a risk after all. "The center will hold, Booth."

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	72. Chapter 72

(The Couple in the Cave)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

A couple had been found dead in a cave in a national park and Booth was feeling a little Déjà vu about the case. He had just had a case where a child's body had been found in a cave and now he was dealing with two dead adults. The male adult was holding the female adult in his arms when they died and somehow this just made the case more tragic.

Staring at the skeletons, Booth felt sad that this couple had died in cave far from help. "It looks like he couldn't let her go."

"They both have multiple fractures, but you can see that the female's injuries were more severe." Brennan continued to examine the skeletons noting that there was very little flesh left on the bones. "Insect and wildlife have almost cleaned the bones . . . There is some tissue on their skulls." She pointed at the areas around the victim's supraorbital foramen and zygomatic bones. "They both appear to be in their late 20's or early thirties . . . bludgeoned perhaps . . . Time of death will be difficult to determine, but not impossible. I'll need the remains sent to the Jeffersonian as well as the dirt and rocks in the surrounding area."

Surprised, the forest ranger who had escorted them to the cave scratched the side of his head. "You want the rocks?"

"Yes, of course." Brennan wasn't sure why she was being questioned and turned to look at the man. "It is standard procedure."

Shrugging his shoulders, Gary Nesbitt found the whole process to be odd. He had known they would need the bodies, but the dirt and rocks had been a surprise. "Okay, whatever you say."

His attention on the cave floor, Booth studied the path the couple would have had to use to get to where they had been found. "He wasn't hurt as much as she was, so he must have moved her into the cave to protect her . . . I guess he couldn't leave her once they were here."

Since there were a lot of tests to be done, Brennan ignored her partner's statement. What puzzled her was the fact that the man probably could have saved himself and he didn't. It didn't seem like a rational decision.

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The case moved steadily along and it had taken awhile to identify the male victim, but once that was done, the case picked up speed. Clue after clue filled in the puzzle and once the final puzzle piece was in place, they knew who the murderer was.

The forest ranger who had originally led them to the couple in the cave had turned out to be the killer. A year earlier, his niece had asked one of the victims to buy her some liquor. The girl Sarah Nesbitt had died in a car accident while drunk and Gary Nesbitt had blamed Felix for her death. When Gary had seen Felix and his Alcoholic Anonymous sponsor, Hillary Fuller hiking in Taylor National Park, he had followed them until he was able to confront Felix on a ridge overlooking a lookout point. Briefly, he had shouted at Felix while Hillary had tried to calm the situation and intervened to protect her lover. She had told Gary that Felix had changed and had turned his life around. Furious, Gary had pepper sprayed both Hillary and Felix in the face and pushed them from the ridge. The couple had fallen on the rocks below with Felix landing on Hillary. The cave was 250 feet from the rocks where they had landed and to protect Hillary from Gary, Felix had half dragged half carried her to the cave. At that point he'd had a decision to make. He could stay with her so she wouldn't die alone or he could have tried to get help for himself. He had chosen to stay and had died shortly after Hillary had.

Booth found that to be a powerful lesson in love. "It's sad, but at least they died together . . . in each other's arms."

"How could that have made their deaths any less horrible?" Brennan didn't understand the point Booth was trying to make. "He could have left the cave and tried to get help. He didn't have to die in the cave."

Aware that Brennan didn't understand, Booth tried to explain what he meant. "Cause it was love, Bones. He thought he was going to die and he thought it would be better to die with the woman he loved and not out in the woods looking for help. Hillary was dead and yeah, he could have left but he just couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her behind."

"But he might have lived if he had left the cave." Frustrated, Brennan sipped her beer and tried to understand what her partner was telling her. "What he did wasn't logical."

"Logic has nothing to do with this Bones." He knew that Brennan was frustrated with him and considered him a hopeless romantic, but he wanted her to understand. "If you and me were in the same situation, I couldn't leave you and let you die alone. I couldn't do it. What kind of a man would I be if I left you behind to save myself and I let you die alone? Don't ever ask me to do something like that Bones because it's not going to happen. I owe it to you to be there for you. I promised you that I would never leave you and I mean to keep that promise."

Not sure why she felt so upset, Brennan felt her eyes water and a tear escape her lashes and roll down her cheek. "Booth, if we were in the same situation, I would expect you to leave me behind and save your life. You have a son that needs his father. Watching me die and then dying yourself wouldn't make any sense, not if you could save yourself. I wouldn't want you to stay with me if you could live. That would be an unreasonable expectation."

Placing his hand over her hand, Booth leaned closer. "It's love, Bones." He saw the tear and he knew that he was disappointing her, but he didn't know how to fix it. He didn't want to be dishonest with her. "I love you just like Felix loved Hillary. We do certain things because it's what we are, it's who we are."

"Survival is a human imperative." Brennan was trying to understand what Booth was saying, but it didn't seem right to her. She would not want Booth to die if he didn't have to. "If we don't look out for ourselves, nothing else matters. You have a son so it is important that you have to look out for yourself so that Parker can have a father."

Sad that he couldn't get Brennan to see what he was trying to say, Booth leaned forward lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm not logical, Bones. I can't live my life like that. Yes, I have a son and he needs a father, but I also have someone I love very much . . . you and I couldn't abandon you if I wanted to. Parker wouldn't be alone he'd have Rebecca . . . I don't know what else to say. I am who I am . . . look this is a hypothetical thing we're talking about. I don't plan to die anytime soon and you're not going to either. I may die in bed when I'm old, so don't be mad at me over this, okay? I can't tell what the future is going to be for both of us, but the important thing I need you to understand is that I love you and I will never leave you."

Feeling a little foolish for getting upset about a hypothetical situation, Brennan nodded her head. "I trust that if we are ever in the same situation that Felix was in, that you will think over what I said and do the right thing . . . I do appreciate the sentiment, Booth. I really do. You made a promise to never leave me, but if that entails endangering your life then I release you from that promise. I hope I am clear."

"Oh, you're clear." Booth decided that this conversation would be better if he let it die. He knew what he would do under certain circumstances and he would do them no matter what Brennan wanted him to do. He had to live with his conscious, not her. "Hey, let's go home. I have a nice bottle of wine in the fridge and we have some of that mac and cheese left over from yesterday. We can heat that up, make a little salad to go with it, have dinner and maybe watch a movie."

"That sounds like a good idea," Brennan moved her half filled glass of wine towards the center of the table and picked her purse up from the floor. "I'm not sure why I got so emotional just now. I suppose it's because I'm tired. It has been a long day."

Standing, Booth placed some money on the table and nodded at the server standing over near the bar. As he moved around the table, he noticed an FBI Agent he hadn't seen in a while standing near the bar and waved at him. "Hiking around the park with Gary Nesbitt and then hauling him back to the SUV to bring him in was quite a bit of exercise. The guy resisted the whole way . . . I feel sorry for his sister-in-law. She lost her husband in Afghanistan, her daughter in an accident and now her brother-in-law is going to go to prison for murder."

"Yes, I do too." Brennan stood up and grasped Booth's hand. "Felix made a terrible mistake and he shouldn't have bought Sarah some alcohol, but Sarah chose to drive while she was under the influence of alcohol. Felix and Hillary didn't deserve to die for that."

"Come on, let's go home." His partner still looked a little upset with him and he was determined to put a smile on her face. Once they got home, he thought a nice massage would do the trick. He'd play it by ear and see if there was anything else she'd like to do. He didn't want her worrying about something that might never happen and something she didn't have any control of.

Brennan knew Booth or at least she thought she did and she understood that Booth would probably do exactly what he said he would do if the situation ever arose. He was a romantic and he would never abandon her for any reason. It was who he was. Angela called him her knight in shining armor and she was probably right. Booth had a code that he lived by and nothing she did or said would change that.

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	73. Chapter 73

(The Doctor in the Photo)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Things had been going well for Brennan and Booth lately although things seemed to be a little hectic. Their cases were coming in and they were clearing them up as quickly as they could which sometimes meant long hours. Sometimes it seemed that they were only home for a few short hours before they were called to a crime scene, but they were professional and they tried not to get frustrated with the situation.

"I'm sorry, Bones. I wanted to have a nice weekend with you." It was 9 p.m. and Booth was pulling on his clothes while Brennan rummaged in her dresser for a pair of slacks.

It was raining outside and the weather had taken a sudden turn to cooler weather and she wanted to wear something warm under her coveralls. A pair of slacks, a t-shirt and a pair of warm socks and Brennan was ready to face such a miserable evening. "Don't worry about it, Booth. I am aware that you have no control over our work schedule. Hopefully, we will move into a quieter period and we can have some time alone together."

Dressed, Booth grabbed his credentials and slipped them into his jacket pocket. Moving into the hallway, he strode down the passage to the living room and over to the bookshelf that contained his safe. Removing his gun from the safe, he placed it on his belt and locked the safe again. As he moved towards the hallway again, Brennan emerged from their bedroom and grabbed her case holding her laptop from the sideboard near the front door. "I think you should put your raincoat on instead of wearing the jacket. It might still be raining at the crime scene."

Rushing down the hallway to their bedroom, Booth grabbed his credentials out of his pocket, yanked his jacket off, tossed it on the bed and grabbed his raincoat from the closet. Once he had it on and his credentials were in one his coat pockets, he strode out of the room, down the hallway and to the front door. Grabbing his car keys from the basket, Booth exhaled deeply. "Okay, let's go. Don't forget your umbrella." The umbrella snatched from the sideboard Booth handed it to Brennan. "I hope like hell it quits raining before we get to the site. Rain and bodies and crime scenes don't mix very well."

"I concur." Brennan opened the umbrella, opened the front door and raced to the SUV. Following her outside, Booth made sure the front door was locked and joined his partner in his truck. "Shit! I see some fog is moving in. Well, maybe we'll get back before midnight."

"We'll see." Tired, Brennan yawned. "I may nap while you drive to the crime scene." Resting her head on the back of the seat, Brennan yawned again. "We need a vacation."

Muttering as he backed down the driveway, Booth made it onto the wet pavement before any oncoming traffic got near him. "I'd settle for a weekend without bodies cropping up."

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"I will show you fear in a handful of dust, T. S. Elliot." Dr. Gadh stared solemnly at Brennan. "We don't actually fear death. We fear that no one will notice our absence that we will disappear without a trace."

It puzzled Brennan that the victim Lauren Eames, someone considered to be one of the best cardiac surgeons on the east coast had disappeared for almost a year and yet no one had seemed to notice or care. The surgeon had no family and few friends, but someone should have noticed when she wasn't around.

"I did report her disappearance, but the police never found her." Shrugging his shoulders, Gadh spoke publicly the words he had held back for a long time. "I don't know if they looked very hard. With no family to harass them, they probably didn't care that much."

In reality, Booth knew that cases slipped through the cracks and if there was no one urging the police to work on the case, cases like Lauren Eames usually were moved to the side in a matter of weeks because of more pressing cases. "Well, we have her body now and we're paying attention Dr. Gadh. We will find out what happened to her."

"Thank you, Agent Booth." Before he left Dr. Gadh turned to look at Brennan. "She was a fine surgeon, Dr. Brennan . . . one of the best, but she didn't have a personal life. She didn't have a connection with anyone she worked with except a Transplant Services Helicopter pilot named Chris Markham. He seemed to like her, but she didn't reciprocate his interest. A few of us noticed that she disappeared and I did report it, but sadly her presence wasn't missed."

This situation seemed bizarre to Brennan. Once Dr. Gadh was gone, Brennan turned to look at her mate. "I'm the best forensic anthropologist in the country. If I disappeared would it go unnoticed?"

"Bones come on. I'd notice." Booth moved closer to Brennan and placed his hands on her upper arms. "I'd notice and I'd look for you until I found you. You're not Lauren Eames. You heard Dr. Gadh . . . Lauren didn't have a connection with anyone, no friends, no family. You . . . You have me, your Dad, Russ . . . you have friends. For sure Hodgins would notice if you were missing and you know it. Angela would probably tear the place apart looking for you. Never think we don't see you, Bones. We see you." He moved closer and kissed her. "I love you. You'll never be just a handful of dust if I have anything to say about it . . . okay?"

Comforted with Booth's words, Brennan nodded her head and returned his kiss. "Yes, I'm okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Moving back to his desk, Booth sat down. "We'll find out what happened to Lauren Eames . . . Dr. Gadh is wrong you know. She was noticed. He noticed when she didn't show up for work. He contacted the police and he tried to find her. She didn't leave this world unnoticed. He cared. Maybe not like a close friend or a relative, but he noticed when she wasn't around anymore."

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"Lauren Eames was a very controlling person." Brennan had listened to Lauren Eames' case files the surgeon had recorded for transcription trying to understand who Lauren was and what she was doing before she died. After she listed to the last case file, Brennan knew that Lauren had gone to see the family of a brain dead child to ask them if she could have his heart for another child that needed a heart transplant. That night had been rainy and dark and it seemed to Brennan that Lauren had probably been hit by a reckless driver who panicked and buried Lauren in the park to hide her body. They couldn't really prove that was what happened, but it was logical and Booth accepted it. The brain dead child had lived in the neighborhood and it was made sense. There would be no trial for Lauren's death since they had no way to track down the driver who had hit and killed her. After eleven months, there was no physical proof left except Lauren's damaged body to show that she had not died a natural death.

Dr. Gadh was sad when he heard about what had probably happened to his colleague, but Lauren was already in the past and he had moved on. Since she had no relatives, Gadh arranged to have her buried in a cemetery that his family used. "She has no family, Agent Booth, so I will give her one for the afterlife."

Their case closed, Booth sat in Brennan's office and rubbed his Gamblers Anonymous medal between his thumb and fingers. "You know, you're tired, I'm tired . . . why don't you and me take this weekend off and do nothing. I'll get Harris to cover my calls, if a case comes up. He can work with Cam they work pretty good together . . . We can stay home, sleep late, maybe catch up on our laundry and other stuff and just relax."

Brennan knew that Booth was probably right. She loved her job and so did Booth, but lately they had barely had any personal time together and she didn't see any harm in taking a weekend off. Wasn't that what normal people usually did? Have a couple of days off every week? "I think that is an excellent idea, Booth. I'll let Cam know we are going to take two days off to rest and we will not be available for calls."

"Great." Booth stood up. "I'd like to catch up on my sleep . . . When I say sleep, I really mean sleep, by the way." Booth grinned at Brennan. "Eight hours at least . . . get it?"

"I'm not the one that likes to wake up early and have sex, Booth. I like to sleep too." Brennan chuckled. "We'll see if you're capable of sleeping late."

Glaring at his partner, Booth leaned on her desk. "Who woke who up yesterday morning at four and insisted I assist you sexually? Your words not mine."

"Well, I will admit that I was the one that woke you up, but you are more likely to wake me up than I wake you up." Brennan leaned back against her chair. "You didn't mind, did you? You seemed to enjoy yourself."

"Of course, I didn't mind, are you kidding?" Chuckling, Booth straightened up. "We will both make a vow to sleep late this Saturday. I want eight hours of sleep."

Amused, Brennan nodded her head. "I will agree to that."

"Good." Glancing at his watch, Booth walked over to the door. "I'm ordering take out tonight. Send me an email and tell me what you want."

Once he was gone and the office was quiet, Brennan turned to her PC and logged in. She smiled at the thought of breaking her vow. "It's not like he'll ignore me. If I want his assistance, he will give it to me. He can't help himself."

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	74. Chapter 74

(The Bullet in the Brain)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The situation was volatile and Booth had kept his eyes on the protesters and counter protesters while Taffet had been taken from the armored truck and escorted towards the entrance to the courthouse. Protesters shouting for Taffet's death, anti-death penalty protesters shouting their disgust vying for attention and mixed in with everyone, the ghoulish who loved spectacle and the family members of Taffet's victims. Booth had known that something bad was going to happen, but he hadn't known what, so he hadn't known how to prevent what happened next.

Shrieks from the crowd behind the ropes told everyone trying to protect Taffet that something had happened and for those who hadn't been looking at the ex-prosecutor when it happened it was chaos until they finally turned and saw the body lying on the ground, her head shattered and blood everywhere.

For those standing near Taffet when she was killed, the shock of seeing her head explode and being splattered with her blood and brains had been shocking. The swiftness of her death had been unnerving and for most of the people who had witnessed it, it would be something they would never be able to forget.

With Taffet dead, Booth's priority was to secure the crime scene. Though most of the protestors had fled, Booth needed the rest of the crowd who had remained because of ghoulish curiosity to be moved down the sidewalk and out of the way. Once that was done, he called Deputy Director Carl Fairburn to let him know about the death of the former prosecutor. Next Booth had the snipers on the roofs surrounding the area brought down and had their rifles checked to make sure none of them had fired the fatal shot.

Brennan and Cam had arrived as soon as they could and Brennan was relieved to see that her partner was unhurt. She had been told there had been a shooting at the courthouse with a fatality and she had tried not to assume anything until she had arrived. "Booth are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Booth glanced over to where the headless body lay and shrugged his shoulders. "Taffet is dead. Sweets was standing next to her when she was hit and I think he's in shock. The shot came from a far distance so it wasn't anyone in the crowd. I had the snipers on the roofs checked out and they're clear. Whoever killed Taffet is a damn good shot."

Moving over to where Cam was now standing over the body, Brennan noted the many pieces of bone and brain lying around the body. "This will take time. We have to recover as much of the bones and brain tissue as possible."

Although it was obvious what had killed Taffet, Cam knew that they needed to determine the make and model of the weapon used to kill the former prosecutor. This had been an assassination and they needed to find the killer as soon as possible. "We'll need Sweets' clothes. He's covered in Taffet's blood and brains. His clothes might have some of the cranium too."

Hodgins had heard Cam's comment as he walked up to the crime scene. "I'll make sure that happens." Moving over to where Sweets was sitting on a gurney, the entomologist noticed that the EMTs were checking the psychologist's heart rate. "Sweets, I have to ask you to remove your clothes. I need them."

"Here?" His voice high, Sweets knew that he was reacting poorly to what had happened, but he had never seen anyone killed before and it was as traumatizing as he had read about.

"Just go in the ambulance, take your clothes off and cover up with a blanket." Hodgins pointed at the interior of the truck while the EMTs tried to keep any humor from showing on their face. "I'll put you in the Lab's van when you're done and I'll have someone drive you home so you can get a bath and new clothes."

Disgusted that he was still shaking, Sweets reluctantly entered the truck and did as he was asked. "I . . . I saw it happen."

"Yeah, I get that." Worried that Sweets appeared to be dazed, he kept an eye on the ambulance while Sweets was out of sight. Once the younger man was out of the ambulance, Hodgins placed the clothes in a bag and escorted Sweets over to the van. Once Sweets was in the vehicle, Hodgins walked over to where Booth was standing. "I need someone to take Sweets home . . . He's shook up and I don't blame him."

"Alright." Booth made arrangements for the psychologist to be taken home by an agent and continued to study the area, trying to determine where the shot had come from. He needed to find where the sniper had taken his shot. It might give him a clue as to who had fired the shot. He wasn't going to mourn over Taffet's death, but he needed to find her killer. Whoever had done this was dangerous and he needed to be found as quickly as possible.

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Carl Fairburn was a worried man. After he made sure his office door was closed and locked, he made a call. "Max where the hell are you?"

 _Why do you want to know? What's up?_

"Where are you Max?" Growing impatient, Carl glanced at his watch. "Just tell me."

 _I'm in New Hampshire . . . I met up with a woman from Cape Cod, but she's married . . . get it?_

"You better be able to prove where you are, Max. Taffet is dead and I have a list of suspects that includes you." He hoped his wife's cousin wasn't involved. If he was, there was no way he could save Max this time.

 _Me? Shit! Look I'm in New Hampshire. I have hotel receipts, gas receipts. I didn't do that. I wanted her dead, but I didn't to this, Carl._

"Good. Temperance is probably going to call you because Booth is going to tell her that you're a suspect. You know that's going to happen. Don't lie to her Max. It won't end well for you."

 _Yeah, okay . . . How did Taffet die?_

"Someone blew her head off . . . You better be telling me the truth, Max."

 _I am. I am, Carl. I'm coming home. I don't want Tempe thinking I did this._

"Don't lose any of your receipts, Max. You're our number one suspect right now." With other pressing things to take care of, Carl ended the call. _He'd better be telling me the truth._

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After scrubbing his skin until it was pink and sensitive, Sweets had cleaned the bathtub making sure there was no blood or brains sticking to the porcelain. Calmer than he had been, he put on one of his older suits, made sure his hair was presentable and left home. On the way to his office, Sweets thought about the conversation he'd had with Taffet in the armored truck and the scene outside the courthouse when her head disintegrated. It happened so quickly and the blood and bits of tissue had hit him before he could throw himself to the ground. Her blood on his skin and clothes had smelled like copper and it had been sickening.

The prosecutor had been a dangerous woman even in shackles and Sweets had been a little intimidated by her. He had ridden to the courthouse with her because she had asked him to, but it had been an alarming trip and to end it with her death made the situation seem surreal. For some reason, now that he was on the way to the Hoover, he was starting to feel disconnected. He could hear her words in his head, he could see her sneering face calling him the weakest link, he could see the contempt on her face and now she was dead, her head destroyed and scattered on the sidewalk while her headless body was being treated like evidence. "I need to talk to Booth or someone . . . she can't harm me, she's dead. She can't hurt anyone . . . she . . . she's dead."

Arriving at the Hoover, he found Daisy in his office. "What are you doing here?"

Rushing into his arms, Daisy held Sweets against her body while she cried. "I heard about what happened. Dr. Brennan said you were okay, but I had to see for myself. Are you okay? I heard that you were near Heather Taffet when she died. I . . . you got hit with her blood and bodily fluids when her head exploded."

Slightly nauseous, Sweets swallowed before answering. "No, I'm fine. A shower took care of that problem . . . Hodgins has the suit I was wearing. I don't want that back. Now I know how Booth felt when that pest control guy dressed like Santa Claus died last year. His body blew up and Booth got hit with parts of his body. . . at least this was just Taffet's head."

She could hear Sweets' voice and she knew that something was off. Calmer, she released her tight hold and looked up at his face. "You sound . . . different. Are you sure you're okay?"

Pulling away from Daisy, Sweets captured her hands with his hands. "I'm fine . . . I just need to get back to work."

"Would you like to come by my place tonight and talk? We haven't really talked since I came back from Maluku. I think we've waited too long, don't you think?" Daisy had avoided Lance when she had first come back to the District and when she was ready to talk to him, she had realized that Lance was avoiding her too. "We have things that we should talk about."

"We do, but I think we know that things have changed between us." Sweets didn't want to talk about his personal issues, but he knew that Daisy did. "Look you chose to leave and I chose to stay. You didn't come back when Dr. Brennan came back . . . I think we should take some time and think about what we want before we rush into anything . . . you and I, we don't have a lot in common anymore. Things have changed. I told you that would happen if you left."

A little stunned, Daisy stared at Sweets and wondered why this was happening to her. She had been just doing her job when she went to Maluku. If she ever wanted to be as good as Brennan was in her field she had to travel and work abroad at least sometimes. "Okay . . . you know I'm a pretty good catch. You shouldn't just break up with me because I had a job to do. Agent Booth didn't break up with Dr. Brennan when she went to Maluku. He let her go and they're fine since she came back. Forensic Anthropologists have to go where the jobs are. If we're offered a position on an important dig then we have to take it. Why would I turn down something that could have got me into history books? True we didn't find anything important this time, but we could have. I wouldn't hold you back if you had to do something work related out of the country."

Still a little bit angry that Daisy had taken the job in a foreign country, Sweets couldn't forget that he had asked her to stay and she didn't. "It was for a year, Daisy. One year."

"You're a little bit selfish, Lance. Maybe more than a little bit." Frustrated, Daisy threw her hands up in the air. "Let me know when you're ready for a serious talk. I have to go back to the Lab." Once she was at the doorway, she looked back. "I do you love you, but you need to make sure you love me before you talk to me again. If you can't handle what I do for my job . . . well, I don't see why you can't but . . . I'll see you around, Lance. I'm glad you weren't hurt."

When the door was closed, Lance sank down on the couch and covered his eyes with his hands. "Am I being selfish? One year . . . I don't know . . . I'm the weakest link . . . maybe I'm just weak about everything. Taffet sure thought so . . . She was going to use me during her hearing, I know she was, but maybe she knew she could because I am weak."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Worried about his friend, Booth found some time to check in with Sweets once he got back to the Hoover. "You okay?" When he entered Sweets' office he found his friend sitting on his couch, his head resting on the back of the couch, his eyes closed.

Quickly sitting up, Sweets opened his eyes and exhaled deeply before answering. "When I was in the armored car with Taffet, she said something . . . something you should know . . . she said 'they know I'm not the only one responsible for my crimes'. Those were her exact words, Booth. She wasn't working alone."

Not really surprised, Booth moved across the room and sat down on the chair facing Sweets. "You don't think I haven't thought about that? Do you really think she could have carried my unconscious body from my apartment, down a fire escape to her car, carried me from her car to the ship, carried me down to the hold of the ship and dumped my body in a submarine? Really?"

His cheeks a bright pink, Sweets felt like a fool. "No, I guess not . . . I'm sorry, Booth. I don't think I thought about it. You never mentioned an accomplice. No one ever mentioned an accomplice and she didn't say she had a partner during the trial . . . I don't know why what she said was surprising. Of course, she couldn't have done that by herself . . . I'm sorry."

"No don't apologize." Booth rubbed his fingers across his closed eyes for a moment then opened his eyes and stared at his friend. "Look, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened to me . . . the kidnapping, me almost dying in the ship and when I found out it was Taffet, I wanted to say that it was wrong, it couldn't have been her, but it was. She was the brains behind the outfit. Sure, she had accomplices but she refused to name them, she refused to even mention them and we don't have any proof that she had people helping her. It's a dead end, at least right now. Maybe we'll get the rest of the story some day, but I wouldn't count on it . . . about today, she murdered a hell of a lot of people, a lot of kids are dead because of her. She didn't care about anyone. She didn't care that she left devastated families behind grieving about their dead loved ones . . . someone killed her and I'm going to find that person, but we know she died because what she did was evil and someone wanted revenge. I'm sorry that you were standing near her when it happened, but it did happen and you have to just move on. I am."

The agent's words made sense, but he hadn't told Booth the whole story. He couldn't bring himself to tell his friend that Taffet had considered him the weakest link on Booth's team. He was afraid that Booth might agree and he didn't want his fears confirmed. "Yeah, okay."

With his investigation just started, Booth didn't have anymore time to spend with Sweets. "We'll find out who killed Taffet. Maybe that will lead us to her accomplice who knows, but I will catch her killer. Even she deserves justice." Standing he studied the younger man for a few seconds. "Move on Sweets. It's the only healthy option you have."

Once Booth was out of the office, Sweets leaned back against his couch and closed his eyes. "God, I am weak. Even Booth knows it."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

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	75. Chapter 75

(The Bullet in the Brain)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sweets had worried that he was a useless cog in Booth's investigative machine and he kept listening to a tape recording of Taffet's last words that reaffirmed that belief. He had recorded her words while in the armored car hoping that he could use those words to learn something about her, but he felt he had learned something about himself instead. He knew he was young and still learning his profession, but it seemed to him that Taffet had looked through him and seen nothing there. Aware that she might have been using a psychological ploy on him to make him useless during her hearing, he had no way to counter what she had said. Taffet was dead and he couldn't prove to her that she was wrong.

Feeling sorry for himself, he hadn't realized that Ms. Julian had recognized that he had a problem. After talking to him about Taffet and her assassination, Sweets knew that he had let the words of a sociopath influence his thinking. The Gravedigger was dead and she couldn't hurt anyone ever again. He still worried that she'd had accomplices when she committed her crimes and he felt that it was his duty to look into it even if Booth thought it was useless. He might come up empty, but he was going to study her past, her affiliations and those people she came in contact with doing her job. He wanted to see if there was a way to prove that there had been someone helping her and who that person or persons were.

He might be a weak link because of his youth, but he was learning as he went and he would not let her psychobabble influence him ever again. He was a trained professional. He worked with smart productive people and he was going to make sure he wasn't the weak link Taffet had claimed he was. He couldn't prove it to her, but he could prove it to himself.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

They ran through the possible list of suspects and when confronted with the fact that it was possible that his friend Jacob Brodsky had been the one that had killed Heather Taffet he felt somehow betrayed. Jacob had been someone Booth had looked up to. The man had been the best of the best and somehow, Brodsky had taken a detour from being an honorable man to a paid assassin. Booth hadn't wanted to believe it was Jacob but the evidence pointed towards Brodsky and he had to accept that a former Ranger, a man who had saved his life and the lives of other brothers in arms was now on the side of evil and he had to bring him in.

It was galling that Jacob had used the name Seeley Booth to buy some property in Virginia. Booth felt like Jacob was taunting him, daring him to find him and come after him. He had driven out to the property to confront and bring his former comrade in for questioning and was almost killed in the process. Jacob had rigged a small trailer with explosives and while Booth had chased the suspected murderer through the bit of land that Jacob was using for a hideout Jacob had used a remote to set off the explosion while Booth ran by it.

The force of the explosion had thrown Booth to the ground wrenching his shoulder. Furious that he hadn't been more careful, Booth had drawn his gun upon Brodsky when the man came back to gloat. It had been Booth's intention to shoot the former Ranger, but he didn't have a solid case against Brodsky at the moment and it was possible that someone else had killed Taffet. Because he had those doubts, Booth had let Brodsky walk away knowing he was probably making a mistake. His honor wouldn't allow him to shoot someone that might be innocent.

"But he used explosives to blow up the trailer. He intended to kill you." Brennan couldn't understand why Booth hadn't shot Brodsky. "An innocent man wouldn't rig a trailer to explode with a remote detonator."

"Maybe, but who knows. Brodsky is a former Ranger and he's been deployed overseas a lot of times." Booth sipped his coffee and tried to ignore the pain in his shoulder. "I don't know what's in his mind. He might had rigged the trailer to use it as a weapon or he could have done it for some other reason. I couldn't shoot him on a hunch that he's the killer. I need solid evidence and I don't have it yet. It's all circumstantial."

Still angry that her partner had confronted Brodsky alone, Brennan glared at the people passing by the large window next to their table. "You should have had backup, Booth. You shouldn't have gone alone."

Since he agreed with her, Booth sipped more of his coffee and placed the cup down. "Well, I made a mistake . . . The old Jacob I used to know would have listened to me, he wouldn't have run like that . . . I don't know this Jacob. He's changed. He really believes that he's on the right side of this whole thing . . . that makes him more dangerous in my book."

Listening to their conversation, Max relaxed in his chair and let them finish before saying anything. "I can't believe you thought I might be the killer . . . I'm not a sniper you know. Sure, I can use a rifle, but I use one for hunting rabbits not killing people."

"You were going to kill Taffet during her trial, Max." Booth felt that the few days Max had stayed in jail during the Gravedigger's trial had made his life a little easier at the time. "You also killed Kirby and Delaney, so you do have a reputation as someone that can kill people."

Glaring at Booth, Max shook his head. "Hey, I was found not guilty of Kirby's death and no one was tried for Delaney's death. I'm innocent. I didn't kill anyone."

"Uh huh." Booth gave Max a smirk and shook his head. "You're lucky you have those receipts proving where you were when Taffet was killed. We think Brodksy did it, but we don't have the solid proof to pin him down yet. He's our prime suspect and Bones and her people are going to prove it."

"I will find out, Booth." Brennan was a little frustrated that they hadn't proved Brodsky was the killer beyond a reasonable doubt. Brodsky knew what he was doing and so far, he hadn't left many clues behind proving he was the killer. The man's time in the Dallas police department had not been wasted. "He will make a mistake sooner or later and we will prove he killed the Gravedigger."

Worried about Brodsky, Booth sighed. "In the meantime, if he is hiring out as an assassin then more people will die before we can catch him. At this point, I don't need him to go down for the Gravedigger's death. If he's hiring himself out to do hits then that means there are probably more victims of his out there. If he can be tied to any death, I'll take it."

"We'll continue to work with what we have, but I think I'll have Angela do some searches and see if she can find any murders lately that were done from a distance like Taffet's was done." Brennan knew that Angela would keep her informed if she let the computer expert know what she was looking for. Angela might not be a genius, but her talents when it came to computers was phenomenal. "If Brodsky has done this before I'd like to know about it."

"Good idea, Bones." Booth finished drinking his coffee. "I'll have some searches done by my FBI techs too. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Ready to leave, Max stood up. "I left a friend behind in New Hampshire. She said she'd wait while I straightened out this mess . . . I didn't exactly tell her what I needed to straighten out, but if I don't get back to her soon, she's going to leave and go back home and that won't be any fun."

Her father seemed to have a lot of liaisons, but that was his business not hers. "I'm glad you came back Dad. I'll walk you to your cab."

Remaining at the table, Booth watched through the window while Brennan talked to her father before he got into a taxi. Before the older man left, Max gave Brennan what looked like a seashell and she put her ear against the opening in the shell and listened. His heart started to beat faster at the sight of how beautiful Brennan was standing on the sidewalk. Booth had always thought Brennan was beautiful, but at this moment he was certain he had never seen anyone lovelier. She took his breath away. While he watched, she lowered the shell and spoke to her father who then got into the taxi.

Once she was back in the Diner, Brennan sat down and showed Booth the shell. "Dad gave me a toothbrush holder."

Placing his hand on the shell, Booth smiled at his partner. "That was nice."

"Yes, it was. There are three holes so we can both use it." Brennan chuckled. "Of course, we must place the shell in the cabinet since I don't want our toothbrushes to be contaminated with a fine mist of aerosolized urine and fecal particulates when we flush the toilet."

"Um, yeah, that would be bad." Booth loved Brennan but sometimes the things she said could gross him out. "I think I need to stop by the store and buy a new one anyway."

Glad that Booth agreed with her, Brennan smiled. "Good, I've been meaning to talk to you about your toothbrush anyway. You must have noticed that I never leave my toothbrush on the counter."

"Yeah, but I just thought that you were being you." Now he wished he'd asked earlier.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	76. Chapter 76

(The Daredevil in the Mold)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Brodsky was off the radar for now. Frustrated, Booth's temper was on edge and everyone at the Hoover who was assigned to his department felt like they had to walk on eggs around the man. When Booth snapped at Agent Harris over a missing report, the man turned, closed the door and faced his supervisor. "Look, Booth, you're angry that your friend Brodsky may be a killer and he . . . well, he tried to blow you up, but you have to rein in your emotions right now. You're snapping at everyone like an angry snapping turtle and no one wants to be around you. Check out the bullpen. Everyone has found somewhere else to be today."

Glaring at his lieutenant, Booth leaned forward on his desk, opened his mouth then closed it. He realized that he had been short with everyone since he had let Brodsky walk away from him and the only one that he should be blaming was himself. "Yeah, I know . . . I should have shot Brodsky in the leg or something to stop him, but I couldn't do it. He's our main suspect in Taffet's murder, but we don't have solid evidence to take to court. I just couldn't shoot him and now . . . and now he's free and if he is the murderer we think he is, he's probably going to kill someone else and it will be my fault."

Careful to keep his face neutral, Harris sat down on the chair facing his friend and shook his head. "This is horseshit, Booth. I wouldn't have shot him either. Anyone with a conscience wouldn't have shot him because we might be going after the wrong guy . . . just let everyone work on the evidence and see what happens. We have an APB out for the guy and sooner or later we're going to get him. Right now, it doesn't matter if he's a murderer or not, he blew up a trailer to stop you and that's attempted murder. He ran from you which is evading arrest and he assaulted a federal agent. He's no angel and he has to pay for what he did even if he didn't kill Taffet. Just cool down some and let us do our jobs."

"Yeah . . . yeah, I need to cool off some." He and Brennan had had an argument the previous evening over something trivial and now Booth was regretting it. He had slept on the couch and his lower back was hurting him. He had hurt Brennan's feelings and he'd had a restless sleep because of it. "Brodsky worked with me in Kosovo and he was a soldier's soldier. The man is a hero. He did some things that I can't talk about, but he saved lives . . . it's hard to accept that this man has probably turned himself into a paid killer . . . what could have happened to make him to change like that? . . . I did the same jobs he did in the army and I . . ."

"Stop right there, Booth." Harris had suspected that he knew what Booth's problem was and now he was certain. "You are not Brodsky, okay? Yes, you were a sniper like him and you did some terrible things that needed to be done . . ." He held up his hand. "I have friends who know some of the things you did and they talked, they shouldn't have but they did . . . You're not Brodsky and you know it. You still believe in right and wrong. You work for the FBI and you're the best investigator we have on the east coast . . . Maybe the whole country, who knows. You're not a murderer, you could never do that, so stop comparing yourself with Brodsky. It's not right."

Surprised at how vehement his friend was, Booth leaned back in his chair and stared at the agent for a few moments. "Thanks . . . I'm not Brodsky. I just needed someone else to say it."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have to have someone else say it, Booth. You're one of the good guys." He had said what he had meant to say and he had work to do. Standing, Harris looked back at the empty bullpen. "Maybe three for four dozen donuts tomorrow morning might settle everyone down. Don't buy the cheap one's either."

"No, I wouldn't do that." Booth smiled. It was the first smile he'd given anyone for the last two weeks including his girlfriend. _Maybe some flowers for Bones?_ "Now about that missing report."

Quickly holding up his hand, Harris stalled Booth from speaking. "I'll have Agent Brown do it again. I don't know where the damn thing is and neither does he."

"Lester may be new around here, but he'd better get his shit together." Booth had been impressed with Agent Brown's record with the field office in Baltimore and had arranged to have him transferred to his division when Agent Green had retired. "Either he isn't filling out the report or he's being careless. My money is on he's not doing them. Talk to him today and tell him I can send him back to Baltimore if he can't handle the job."

That seemed a little harsh, but Harris knew he'd better talk to the younger agent. Booth ran a tight ship and he expected everyone to do their best. "I'll talk to him when he gets back. He's doing an interview with Park right now." Agent Terry Park had been Thomas Green's partner and now Lester Brown was Park's partner. "They got their guy early this morning."

"Good, now go away. I have work to do." Once he was alone, Booth rubbed his closed eyes and realized that he was tired. He still had work to do and he would have to make up for the way he had been treating his partner for the last few weeks. It was a wonder that she hadn't kicked his ass yet.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Tired, Brennan entered the house and was surprised to find jazz playing on the stereo and delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. Things had been strained between Booth and herself for the last two weeks and she had been working late to maintain the peace between them. She knew he was upset that his friend Brodsky was a prime suspect in the murder of Taffet, but she didn't feel it was right that he was taking out his anger on her and everyone else. She had stopped by the Royal Diner and had bought dinner expecting to find Booth downstairs watching television and eating takeout. No one had cooked for the last five days and she was getting tired of eating takeout food.

Entering the kitchen, she found Booth sitting at the kitchen table reading a book. Pots were on the stove the table was set for two and Booth appeared to be waiting for her. "What's this?"

Glad to see his partner home, Booth placed his book down, stood up and walked over to where she was standing. Hesitating, he leaned over and kissed her then took her hand in his hand. "I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving . . . I made mushroom risotto, salad, broiled chicken for me and I have some fresh French bread. I also have a bottle of wine cooling in the fridge."

"It smells wonderful, Booth." Returning his kiss, Brennan smiled and placed her takeout bag on the counter. "I brought take out home."

"Yeah, well I was getting tired of takeout and I knew you had to be too, so I came home and cooked dinner. You can save the takeout for tomorrow's lunch if you want to." Releasing her hand, he walked over to the fridge and removed the wine bottle. Checking to make sure she was still in the kitchen, he retrieved the corkscrew from the counter, removed the cork from the wine, poured enough in the glasses he had on the counters to get them through dinner and turned to face her. "I bought your favorite wine . . . I'm sorry, Bones for last night. I had no right to say what I said. You have a right to your opinion and . . . well, anyway, I'm sorry."

Surprised with Booth's change of attitude, Brennan sat down at the table and accepted the glass of wine from her lover. "We will get Brodsky, Booth. Right now, we have enough evidence to make a case in court that he was the murderer of the Gravedigger, but it's not airtight. We do have an airtight case against him for attempting to kill you and that is all we need to get him off the street."

"Yeah, I know that." After he filled two plates with food, he brought them to the table and sat down. "I guess I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that a man I knew to be such a great soldier, a patriotic American would take money to kill people. I started to wonder how that could happen and if I could . . ."

"No, Booth." Brennan placed her hand on his arm. "No, you are not Brodsky and you never could be." She thought it outrageous that Booth could even entertain a thought like that.

Amazed that Brennan understood what he was worried about, Booth realized that it must have been obvious to everyone but him that he was taking the thing with Brodsky too personally. "Thanks, you're the second person to tell me that today and I needed to hear it. I needed to hear that I won't do what he did and . . ."

"Stop, just stop." Brennan had a hard time understanding Booth sometimes. It was like he didn't see himself as good. _Oh._ "Booth, you're a good man. You know right from wrong. Your job is to bring justice to those who have lost their voice. You are not Brodsky and you never could be . . . I'm sorry that I didn't say it sooner."

"No, don't do that, Bones." Worried that Brennan was trying to take some of the fault from him, Booth shook his head. "I'm the one that let Brodsky get to me. Don't apologize . . . Let's eat while it's hot. I like risotto, but when it gets cold it's kind of gummy."

Glad that Booth was back to where he should be emotionally, Brennan lifted her fork and tried the risotto. "It's delicious, Booth. Thank you for cooking."

"You're welcome . . . Bones, sometimes I can be a pain, but don't give up on me."

"I won't, Booth. I'll never give up on you or us."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

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	77. Chapter 77

(The Bikini in the Soup)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Valentine's Day was coming up and Booth had a problem. For years, Brennan had proclaimed that Valentine's Day was an artificial holiday and for personal reasons Booth had ignored it too. He liked Valentine's Day, but he never seemed to be involved with anyone when the holiday came up. Now that he was in a relationship with Brennan, he felt that he needed to do something for her even if she didn't think it was necessary. He wanted to make sure that day was special for her to show her just what he felt about her, what she meant to him.

For the last two years, his efforts had been thwarted. When they had finally become a couple, he'd had plans for their first Valentine's Day together, but being kidnapped by the Gravedigger had ended those plans. The second year, they had been so busy working on a case and the upcoming Taffet trial that the holiday slipped by and Booth hadn't made the effort he should have. This year he vowed he wasn't going to let that happen again. He needed to make an effort even if they were working on a case. He didn't want Brennan to think he was taking her for granted and celebrating the holiday would prove that he cared.

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Brennan had expected Booth to celebrate Valentine's Day the first year they were together but due to circumstance beyond his control he hadn't been capable of doing anything about the holiday since he had been kidnapped by Heather Taffet and he'd almost been killed. The second year, she assumed he wasn't in the mood because it was the anniversary of his being kidnapped and he'd been impatient and a little agitated most of that day. The Gravedigger's upcoming trial put him on edge and he had been working closely with Caroline Julian making sure that everything was in order for the trial. When he wasn't working on that, he was working on cases and she felt that Valentine's Day was the furthest thing from his mind.

This year, Brennan decided to take the bull by the horns . . . _I believe that is the correct_ phrase . . . and she was going to show Booth that she thought it was alright to celebrate Valentine's Day even if it was a holiday manufactured by the candy and greeting card companies. She knew he was a romantic person and it was time for her to show him that she could be romantic too.

"Valentine's Day is tomorrow."

Surprised, Angela looked up from her monitor and turned to face her friend. "Yes, it is. Are you and Booth going to do something this year?" Angela hadn't been impressed with Booth the previous year and felt he should have done something for Brennan even if it had just been to send flowers. Yes, he'd been working with Caroline on the upcoming Gravedigger trial, but his obsession with making sure Caroline got everything she needed had made him impatient and angry which she'd found unpleasant. Of course, Hodgins had been almost as unbearable as Booth during the run up to the trial. She supposed the previous year had been a bad year to think about Eros, the God of Love. She had received flowers, but Hodgins had been remote during that time.

"I don't know if Booth is even thinking about the holiday, because of Brodsky but I will do something this year." Determined to celebrate the holiday like most normal couples, Brennan would make sure something was done to acknowledge the holiday. "He was kidnapped the week before Valentine's Day the first year we were together and he was still recovering from that ordeal when the 14th rolled around. Last year, the Gravedigger trial was coming up and no one had time to think about manufactured holidays and this year, he is spending a lot of time trying to track down Jacob Brodsky. I think it will be up to me to make time and I will make sure we do something even if we have a case."

"Good for you." Angela grinned and hugged her friend. "Remind him that it's okay to be romantic."

Puzzled, Brennan returned the hug and pulled away. "Booth is very romantic, Angela. He shows me his romantic side quite often. I just think . . . I used to tell him that Valentine's Day wasn't a real holiday and I didn't see the necessity of spending money on a manufactured holiday. It's possible that he thinks I would object to acknowledging the holiday . . . I think I will show him that his assumption is wrong."

"Well, I think that's great. You go girl." When Brennan turned to leave, Angela snagged her arm. "Bren, I didn't mean you had to leave. That's just a saying. It's just a form of encouragement."

Her cheeks a dusty pink, Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "I thought perhaps you were done with the conversation . . . I will remember that just in case someone else says that to me. Thank you."

Amused, Angela smiled. "That's alright Honey . . . So, what are you going to do about Valentine's Day?"

"I don't know yet." Brennan was still thinking about her options. "It will depend upon whether or not we have a case. If we do, I will have to modify my plans, but I will do something."

"I think Hodgins has plans already made. I don't know what they are, but I'm pregnant and I hope it doesn't involve standing on my feet for a lot of time, like dancing. Sitting would be nice." Angela found that by the end of the day her feet were tired and sore. Dancing would definitely be something she'd want to avoid. "I'm game for almost anything else."

Her phone notified her that she had a message from someone. Checking, Brennan frowned and left the room without saying anything to Angela. Replying to the message, she wondered why Sweets wanted to talk to her. She hoped he wasn't going to talk to her about his personal problems. He and Daisy were still separated and she didn't want to be involved in that matter if she could help it.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Before entering Brennan's office, Sweets glanced at the platform and down the hallway to make sure Daisy wasn't around at the moment. "Dr. Brennan, thank you for seeing me."

Wary of Sweets' intentions, Brennan leaned back against her chair. "What do you wish to see me about?"

A little nervous, Sweets fingered his shirt collar and sat down on the chair in front of her desk. "I'd like to talk to you about Maluku."

"Maluku?" Not sure what was coming, Brennan decided that the conversation had a potential to be too personal. "What do you wish to know?"

"Well, when you came back from Maluku, why did Daisy stay behind?" Sweets saw the shaded look he was getting and he knew she might throw him out of her office. "You came back early because you hadn't found anything ground breaking, but Daisy stayed. Why did she do that?"

Annoyed, Brennan crossed her arms against her breasts. "How would I know the answer to that question? It's possible she thought I was wrong and that it might be worth staying . . . I was proven to be right and Daisy normally doesn't question my decisions, but she has her own career to consider. She might have considered the risks and decided that staying was more logical . . . You really need to talk to Daisy about this. I'm not her confidant."

"Yeah, but we're not really talking right now." Sweets hadn't spoken to Daisy for a few weeks and he was beginning to think they were through as a couple. "I just need to know why she stayed when you didn't."

Not sure she could give Sweets a reason that he would accept, Brennan sighed and placed her hands on her thighs. "After I had been there for a few months, it looked like the site wasn't going to live up to the expectations of everyone involved. I was in contact with Booth and he was involved in a sensitive case involving the murder of a child. I weighed what I was doing versus what Booth was doing and I realized that I would be of more use back here. Making discoveries that will fill in the gaps of knowledge we have about early man is important after all it is what I was originally trained to do, but what Booth and I do is important too. I have been involved in many digs and have accrued many awards and accolades because I have produced results, but there are younger people coming up behind me, like Daisy that need to gain experience, the experience I spent many years accruing . . . It wasn't necessary for me to remain at the dig because my reputation has already been made. Daisy stayed because she needs to add to her reputation. She is just starting her career and to leave when there was a potential to be on site for a major discovery wouldn't have made sense. She gave it another month because she had to."

What Brennan said made sense and it made him realize that Daisy might have been correct when she said he was a little selfish. He had a lot of thinking to do. Standing, Sweets gave Brennan a grateful smile. "Thank you, Dr. Brennan. I needed another perspective and you gave it to me."

Once the younger man was gone, Brennan sighed and turned to face her PC. Sometimes it bothered her that people couldn't see what was right in front of them.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Before the day was done, Booth had made arrangements to his satisfaction and left work an hour early. They had solved their case in record time and he decided that he could fill out the necessary paperwork tomorrow. Everything could wait because he had a mission to accomplish. After picking up two bottles of wine from the liquor store, he stopped at 'Le Diplomate' and picked up the food he had ordered, Mushroom soup for two, macaroni au gratin, Mushroom tart, steak frites and garlic spinach.

After he arrived home, he placed the food on the counter in the kitchen, set the table, put the wine in the fridge, put some jazz on the stereo and went into the bedroom to change clothes. He expected Brennan to come home within an hour or so and he wanted to be prepared for their special night.

Brennan had considered the many things she could do to make the evening special and she knew that Booth would enjoy a quiet night at home. Valentine's Day meant restaurants filled with noisy people. She didn't consider that very romantic, so she ordered food from 'The Red Hen' and picked it up on the way home. The aromas smelled tantalizing as she placed the bags on the floor of her car. Whipped Ricotta Crostini, two orders of spaghetti squash Genovese, one order of Mafalde and an order of honey glazed half chicken. Arriving home, she noticed Booth's SUV in the driveway and hoped that he hadn't already eaten dinner or was cooking. Hurrying into the house, she found the table set and food in containers from 'Le Diplomate' on the counter.

"Hey, Bones, I'm glad you're home." Hurrying down the hallway, Booth noticed that Brennan had several bags in her hands and wondered what she was up to. "I know you think Valentine's Day is a manufactured holiday, but I wanted to do something for you anyway." His eyes on the bags, Booth laughed. "What's this?"

Holding them up for her lover to see, Brennan smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day Booth. I bought us dinner from 'The Red Hen' . . . I think we should have probably talked to each other about plans for this evening."

Surprised, Booth stepped closer and took the bags from her hands. Carrying them into the kitchen, he placed them on the counter. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. I think we have enough food for today and tomorrow too." Turning he moved closer to Brennan, took her hands in his hands and kissed her. "Maybe we can call in sick tomorrow and really celebrate Valentine's Day. You and me and this food and you and me and well . . . making love . . . and I have wine in the fridge . . . Interested?"

"Interested?" Brennan pulled her hands from Booth's hands, clasped the collars of his shirt and pulled him towards her. Her lips met his lips and soon they were gasping for breath. "I think your plan is excellent since it's the same plan I had for us . . . We really are good together Booth. We know what we want and we know what we need and usually they are the same thing."

His eyes flashing with lust, Booth glanced at the food and licked his lips. "Are you hungry or can dinner wait for a little while."

"Oh, I think dinner can wait. That's what ovens and microwaves were invented for, Booth." Now clasping his hand, she pulled him towards the bedroom. "I never realized how entertaining Valentine's Day could be."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you,


	78. Chapter 78

(The Killer in the Crosshairs)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Sweets had waited for Valentine's Day to be over before he approached Daisy. After he entered the Lab, he checked the platform to see if she was there. The platform was empty for the moment and that meant the intern could be anywhere. Popping his head into Cam's office, Sweets tried to stay mostly in the hallway. He didn't want to intrude on Cam's busy schedule. "Quick question, Dr. Saroyan, I'm looking for Daisy. Is she at the Lab today?"

Surprised to see the psychologist at the Lab, Cam turned and smiled at him. "She's down in Bones storage. It's been a while since you've been here. How are you doing?" She had been concerned about the young man ever since he had been sprayed with Heather Taffet's brains. He had looked to be a state of shock when she had seen him right after the assassination and she hadn't seen him since.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking . . . it was a shock when The Gravedigger was killed, but . . . well, I've had time to recover." Embarrassed, that he hadn't reacted as bravely as he should have, Sweets knew that the people he worked with had not seen him in his finest hour. Taffet's murder had been unexpected and brutal, but he should have handled it better. "That was the first time I've ever seen anyone murdered right in front of my eyes . . . It was unexpected and not something you can prepare for."

"No, it isn't." Cam had dealt with a lot of dead bodies during her career and she knew that sudden death wasn't really something the average person understood. "But I'm glad you're alright now."

Stepping into the office, Sweets cleared his throat. "Taffet told me that she wasn't working alone when she kidnapped people. She said she had an accomplice."

Slowly nodding her head, Cam felt that Taffet's confession shouldn't have been a surprise. "It makes sense. A small woman like her would have needed help to move Booth's unconscious body from his apartment to the hold of a ship."

"Yes . . . I never really gave it that much thought and no one ever mentioned an accomplice when we were tracking down the Gravedigger. I guess I should have realized that she had help." Clearly everyone had thought about it but him.

"Well, I suppose we didn't." A ping told her she had mail on her PC. "We don't have any proof that she did and Taffet didn't mention it during the trial. I'd like to find out who was helping her, but I don't know if that's possible. We've looked over all the evidence we have and nothing points to an accomplice and yet logic says there was one."

Since he planned to research that when he had time, Sweets didn't want to waste Cam's time. "I'm going to go talk to Daisy."

"Alright." Turning back to her PC, Cam brought up her latest email and began to read it.

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Working alone, Daisy was examining one of the Lost ones in Bones Storage. Brennan had assigned a set of remains to her and she was trying to be careful to make sure she didn't miss anything. She had taken measurements of the skull and had come up with a set of markers that Angela could use for a facial reconstruction. A noise near the staircase broke her concentration. Turning she spied Lance Sweets standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What do you want?" At that moment, she wasn't sure she wanted to speak to her ex-boyfriend.

"I think we should talk." Moving a few feet closer, Sweets stopped five feet from the intern giving her some needed space. Their height difference meant that he could appear to be intimidating when he wasn't trying to be. "Dr. Brennan reminded me that you have a career that you're working on and that you don't have the reputation she has which means your obligations are not the same as hers. I was comparing you and her and I shouldn't have. She could come back from the dig and not worry about what it might mean if the dig made a big discovery without her. You didn't have that luxury."

Grateful that Sweets had come to the right conclusion, Daisy removed her gloves and tossed them in the biohazard bin. "She also has an understanding partner. Agent Booth accepted it was possible that Dr. Brennan might be away for a year. He didn't hold her job against her."

"Yes." Clearing his throat, Sweets knew that Daisy had resented his attitude when she had come back from the dig. He felt he had a good grievance, but so did she. "Perhaps we should keep the past in the past. You're back and well, I'm glad."

"You are?" Daisy wasn't sure what Sweets wanted from her. He had been hostile for weeks and their last conversation had sounded like a final one. She had assumed he had dumped her. She had never been dumped before and that had been an unpleasant experience.

Not sure what would be good for both of them, Sweets shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can we be friends?"

A smile brightening her face, Daisy stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm. "I think we can, Lance. I'd like to be friends with you again."

"Good." He felt more relaxed and hadn't realized how tense he had been. "Good, maybe we can meet for drinks after work today."

"I'd like that." Daisy walked back over to the table and placed a new set of gloves on her hands. "I'll message you when I'm leaving here."

Taking his cue, Sweets turned and walked back up the staircase. He had been angry with Daisy long enough. If being near Taffet when she'd had her head blown off had taught him anything, it had taught him that life was short and being mad forever with someone he liked didn't make him happy.

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Good or bad, Agent Lester Brown was working with Agent Terry Park in an effort to track down Jacob Brodsky and they weren't having any luck. He knew that he had got on the bad side of Agent in Charge Seeley Booth by not keeping up with his paperwork, but he was determined to get back on the right track. His wife Claire had been having some health issues when they moved to the District and he'd left work each day without completing his reports. Now that she was feeling better, he and his wife knew that he was going to have to put some effort into getting out of Booth's doghouse. If that meant longer hours at work, then so be it.

Booth suspected that the victim in his latest case, Walter Crane aka Walter Coolidge had been killed by Brodsky and Lester and Terry were trying to track down the connection between Coolidge and the assassin. The shot that took out the counterfeiter had seemed an impossible shot and both Lester and Terry were certain that only a sniper with Brodsky or Booth's skills could have taken out Coolidge. Now they were trying to find the connection between Brodsky and Coolidge and they'd had some success. Reporting to their supervisor's office, Park took the initiative and knocked on the door frame of Booth's office. "Booth?"

Busy reading a report, Booth looked up and frowned at the agents. "Yeah?"

After they were in the office, Terry cleared his throat. "We've looked into Coolidge's background and we found out he was in Witness Protection. He ratted out Raul Ortiz and we think that might be the connection to Jacob Brodsky."

"Good job, only I found that out two hours ago and I've already interviewed Raul Ortiz." Amused, Booth saw the flash of impatience on Park's face and the look of puzzlement on Lester's face. "I was going to let you know during this afternoon's briefing . . . You did good, but Caroline beat you to the punch. She found out about Coolidge's past and she had Ortiz brought to the Hoover for questioning."

Curious, Lester spoke up. "Did he admit that he hired Brodsky?"

"No, of course not, but I got a 'what if' conversation and yeah, he paid Brodsky to kill Coolidge." Booth leaned back against his chair and considered their next move. "I'm having Coolidge's connection with the Witness Protection Program looked at. In the meantime, I need you two to help Agent Harris with a case he's working on. He has a bunch of interviews he needs done and you two can help with that."

"Got it." Terry knew that Harris was involved in the Donahue case and that case was sensitive since the dead man was an aide to Congressman Abernathy. "Lester and I will get on it."

Once the two men were gone, Booth returned to his computer and continued his search. It looked like Brodsky had an inside man in the U.S. Marshall's service and he was determined to find out who that person was.

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Actions can have consequences and linking Marshall Deputy Paula Ashwaldt to Brodsky had had serious consequences that Booth hadn't foreseen. While Paula had served in Afghanistan, she had received a purple heart. She had been with the Fourth Brigade Combat team and Booth knew that twelve members of her unit had been saved by Brodsky. The connection was obvious and Booth had confronted Paula. She had admitted that she had given Brodsky the information about Heather Taffet and Walter Coolidge knowing what that meant for her future. During his conversation with Paula, she had confessed that Brodsky liked to use her cabin to hunt. Booth gave her a chance to turn herself in and gave her a day to do it.

Hoping that they might catch Brodsky at the cabin, Booth and Brennan had driven to the cabin to see if their suspect was hiding there.

In the meanwhile, Paula went to her office, logged into her laptop to see if Brodsky had used it without her knowing about it, logged out of her laptop, pulled her gun and she killed herself.

While they were checking out Paula's cabin, Booth and Brennan found a mock building in a field with a dead deer in it. Bizarrely the deer had been killed with an unusual bullet and Brennan wanted to know what was so special about it.

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While Brennan was working at the Lab, doing an autopsy on the deer and Angela was analyzing the bullet used to kill the animal, Booth came home to cook dinner and to do a load of laundry. If he didn't do some soon, he'd have to go commando. Entering his house, he found Brodsky standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a gun pointed at him.

Standing where he was, Booth didn't bother to hold up his hands. Either Brodsky was going to shoot him or he wasn't, but he wasn't going to make himself a bigger target. "In my house, Jacob?"

"I made sure your girlfriend and your son weren't here." Angry with Booth over Paula's suicide, Brodsky thought about shooting Booth, but there was a lot of history between the two of them. "What did you say to make Paula kill herself?"

"You think that was my fault?" In reality, Booth knew that Paula was dead because of him, but he also knew that if she hadn't helped Brodsky, three people would be alive. "She helped you kill Taffet and Coolidge. An innocent woman died when she wouldn't leave her apartment to give you a place to kill Taffet. That was on Paula and you, Jake. This isn't on me."

A sneer on his face, Brodsky shifted his stance. "Funny thing, you think her death is your fault."

Not in the mood to play games, Booth glared at Brodsky and pointed at the man's pistol. "You either shoot me or you get the hell out of my house." He was worried that Brennan might come home and walk into the standoff going on between him and Brodsky. He couldn't allow Brennan to become collateral damage.

"You and me Booth, we've always been on the same side." Brodsky thought that Booth was the one man who would understand what he was trying to do. "I'm getting rid of the evil people that walk among us."

"No, you're off the reservation." Angry, Booth shook his head in disgust. "You want to do the right thing? Give me your gun. Turn yourself in. I can't let you continue to kill people. Even evil people like Taffet. You're not allowed to be judge, jury and executioner."

Disgusted, Jacob considered shooting his friend and walking away. "Of all the people that have died in our little clash of wills, Paula was the only good person. I liked her. She was a good person and because of you, she's dead."

"You can't pin that one on me, Jake." Booth wasn't having any of this. He had felt guilty because Paula had killed herself, but she had helped Brodsky kill three people and she wasn't as good as Jake would have him believe.

His anger barely under control, Jake shifted his stance once more. "Tell me, Booth. Standing in front of God which one of us will be judged more harshly?"

"I'm coming after you Jake and I'm going to catch you." For whatever reason, Booth knew that Jacob wasn't going to shoot him in his home. The assassin had other plans. "The next time I have you in my sight, I'm not going to aim at your legs or knees."

A slight chill ran down Jacob's back. He knew that Booth was warning him and he probably should shoot him, but he couldn't, not yet anyway. "Good to know. If it comes down to it, the next time we meet, I will not hesitate to make your sweet boy fatherless." Jacob hoped that Booth was listening to him and would back off. He owed Booth for saving his life in Iraq, but he would kill him if the agent kept coming after him. He had a mission. God had told him that evil must be eradicated from this world and he would do as much as he could to see that he could make that happen.

Once he was alone, Booth sat down and stared at the closed front door. He hadn't really been sure if Brodsky was going to shoot him or not, but he was grateful that Brennan hadn't come home with him. Brodsky wasn't the man he used to know. The man thought he was on a mission from God and he would continue to kill people until he was stopped. A fanatic was dangerous and unpredictable. "I should have shot him when I had the chance."

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	79. Chapter 79

(The Killer in the Cross hair)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Angry, Brennan turned to face Booth as he finished his story. "He was here? He confronted you in our house?" She didn't know who to be angry with, Booth for coming home before she did knowing that Brodsky was still on the loose or Brodsky for daring to break into their house to threaten Booth. "While Brodsky is free you must have backup Booth. The man is an assassin and he's already tried to kill you once. I'm not sure why he didn't kill you this time, but he won't hesitate the next time. You need to have one of your agents with you when I'm not available."

Holding up his hands, Booth stopped Brennan's tirade. "Look, I've already been through this with Caroline. I called her and told her what happened . . . Jacob used to be my friend. I didn't think he'd come after me like this."

"He tried to blow you up when you went after him alone on the piece of property he was hiding on and now he holds you responsible for Paula Ashwaldt's death." Brennan tried to control her emotions. She knew that she needed to be calm and reasonable when talking to her partner. "He will kill you the next time he sees you. You need backup when I'm in the Lab. I know you think it's not necessary, but I think the facts speak for themselves. Jacob Brodsky plans to kill you."

The fact that Brennan was upset made Booth rethink what was going on. "Okay, I get it. I'll have Lester Brown back me up . . . back us up while we're looking for Brodsky . . . It's okay, Bones. I'm not hurt. He didn't intend to kill me this time. He came here to warn me that he was no longer my friend but my enemy." The more he thought about it, the more he worried that Brodsky might just shoot him from the top of a building. The assassin was a specialist like he was and Brodsky wasn't someone to take lightly. If having another agent around helped give Brennan peace of mind then he'd do it. He also knew that if Brodsky wanted him dead, an extra agent as backup might not do any good. It certainly didn't help Taffet. "I am pissed that the man had the gall to break into our house."

Since Booth was giving in to her demand, Brennan felt like there was a chance that Booth might survive their search for Brodsky. She would do anything to save her mate even if it meant that she had to kill the murderer. There was nothing she wouldn't do to make sure that Booth was safe. "As you should be. If he had waited until this Saturday, Parker would have been here."

"Yeah, but he made sure that didn't happen. No matter how much Jake wants me out of the way, he won't hurt Parker." Booth was certain of that. The man might have turned rogue, but he knew with certainty that Jacob Brodsky would never harm a child. He didn't have it in him to be that evil.

"I suppose that is something to be grateful for." Brennan walked into the kitchen leaving Booth behind. She wasn't hungry, but they needed to eat something for dinner. Their days were getting longer and they needed to make sure they ate properly.

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Not sure why he'd been called to Booth's office, Lester hoped it wasn't to yell at him about his paperwork. He'd been working a few extra hours a day to catch up. Claire was doing well enough that he didn't need to check on her constantly. She was starting a new job in less than three weeks and she seemed to be eager to start. Entering Booth's office, Agent Brown noticed that Morris Harris was standing near the window looking at him. _Shit! What did I do now?_

Waving his hand towards the chair in front of his desk, Booth glanced at Harris then back at his newest agent. "Sit down." After Lester was settled, Booth leaned on his desk. "Jacob Brodsky broke into my house last night and let me know that he intends to kill me. Both Deputy Director Fairburn and the Director want me to have an agent as backup and you're it." Booth had reported the incident to the Deputy Director and was surprised when he had reacted with just as much anger as Brennan had the previous evening. "I just need you during the day. You'll be with me until I enter my house then you'll be on your own. Another agent will be watching my house at night."

Shocked that Brodsky had broken into Booth's home, Lester leaned back against his chair. "Why didn't he kill you last night? Why warn you that he's going to kill you?"

"Because we used to be friends and I think he wanted to warn me before he comes after me." Booth also thought it was because Jake wanted to make him nervous, but if that had been his plan then it had failed. It seemed to be making everyone else nervous though and Booth didn't appreciate that. "We have a lot of people looking for him, but he's a trained sniper. Besides me he's one of the best around and he's not going to be easy to find. We'll deal with it. A lot of agencies are looking for him, so sooner or later he will make a mistake and we'll find him. Agent Park has been told about the situation and he'll use Agent Burns when he goes out in the field. Charlie's partner was killed over a year ago and hasn't been working with anyone else. If it works out, I may keep their partnership intact."

"What about me?" Lester was hoping this didn't mean he was being sent back to Baltimore. "Who will be my partner if Agent Park and Agent Burns become partners."

Shifting his feet, Harris stared at the young agent with a grim look. "Me . . . I've been flying solo for a while and Deputy Director Fairburn wants me to partner up with someone."

Surprised, Lester started at the older agent and wondered why Harris wanted him. "Okay."

Amused, Booth laughed. "Don't worry, Lester. Harris has been with the FBI as long as I have been. You can learn a lot from him."

"Yes sir." Lester had heard the stories about Booth and Harris. He knew they were Army, both of them decorated veterans and they both were rising up in the ranks of the FBI pretty steadily. He knew it couldn't hurt his career to be partnered with a man like Harris. Standing, he pointed over his shoulder. "I'll be at my desk working on reports. If you need to go anywhere, let me know."

Waving his hand towards the door, Booth watched the younger agent leave. "Damn were we ever that young?"

"Not you, you were born old." Harris chuckled. "I think he got my message about paperwork."

"Looks like it." Once Booth was alone in his office, he started on his own paperwork. He hoped Brodsky was caught soon. He didn't really want anyone but Brennan working with him, but he knew that he'd rather risk Lester's life than his partner. He didn't want Brennan anywhere near Brodsky. He knew that Jacob didn't care about collateral damage and he wouldn't hesitate to kill whoever was with him when the assassin finally came after him. Brennan could take care of herself, but Brodsky might go for the kill from a distance and she couldn't protect herself from that.

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After Angela had studied the bits that had once been a bullet before it exploded killing a deer, she came to the conclusion that it was a bullet designed to explode in mid-air. The shooter shot it from his rifle from a long distance through a window and counted on the bullet exploding in the room it arrived in killing anyone in the room. It was sophisticated and made by a specialist. Brodsky had not made this particular bullet. It was programmable, so it was obvious that the assassin planned to kill someone in a building without actually entering it. It would be up to Booth to find out who had made the bullet and who Jake's next target was. She assumed that since the deer had been killed before Paula had died then the intended target wasn't Booth. Someone was on borrowed time and Angela knew that they needed to track down Jacob before he killed his intended victim.

As soon as Booth had heard what the specs for the bullet were, he knew that Brodsky would have used an arms dealer named Benny Winkler. Benny was the best in the business and he was a genius when it came to weapons. After confronting the dealer in one of the interrogation rooms in the Hoover, both Booth and Caroline knew where the shooting was going to take place and when.

With Lester and Brennan by Booth's side, they stood on the roof of the Federal Building that evening, trying to spot Brodsky. With Caroline's help they determined that his target was a corrupt cop who had taken a bribe not to arrest a hit-and-run driver who had killed a woman with two children. Moving so that they were facing the building opposite the men's bathroom in the Federal Building, Booth spotted Brodsky and set up his gun. Brennan used his field glasses to be his spotter and Lester watched with his gun drawn. The younger agent was worried that if Booth missed the assassin would turn his weapon upon them.

Unfortunately, Booth could only see Brodsky's rifle and when he took the shot that was what he hit. It stopped Brodsky from killing the policeman and that was all. Furious, Booth placed his rifle back in its case and zipped it up. "I should have had him."

Since Brodsky was gone, Brennan stared at the spot where she had seen Brodsky's rifle sail from the assassin's hands and sighed. "You kept him from killing someone Booth. Brodsky didn't count on that."

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That evening, once Booth was home with Brennan, the agent poured himself a stiff glass of Scotch and drank it down. "I should have had him. I messed up. He's still out there."

"Yes, but so are we." Brennan leaned against the couch and watched Booth place his glass down on the counter and start to pace. "More importantly, so are you and he knows it. You stopped him. He knows it was you, Booth. He knows that only you could have shot his rifle out of his hands in the dark."

"Yeah, I get that, but he got away." Stopping his pacing, Booth reached for the decanter of Scotch and then stopped his hand. "We have to work smarter."

Not sure what that really meant, Brennan chose to nod her head and not ask what he meant. "We will eventually catch him, Booth. It's inevitable."

"Yeah . . . in the meantime you're at risk being near me. I'd . . ."

Quickly holding up her hand, Brennan shook her head. "Stop right there, Booth. I am your partner. I will not abandon you when you need me and you do need me. I'm a great partner and you know that. We will do our jobs and eventually we will catch him. He is not endowed with some superpower. He's mortal just like the rest of us. He doesn't have a partner like you do. He's isolated . . . alone and that makes him vulnerable." Moving closer to her lover, Brennan placed her right hand over Booth's heart. "When he was in the service, he had backup. He had people that could take care of his needs, but now he is a paid assassin and he is on his own. He isn't like you. You have me, you have the FBI and you have Angela, Cam and Hodgins. We are a team and as a team we will find Brodsky and you can kill him."

"Kill him?" This surprised Booth. Normally, Brennan would rather that the murderer be captured and put on trial.

"Yes, kill him." Brennan gave her mate a sad smile and knew that he didn't understand her. "He is not good, Booth. He has killed for money and he intends to kill again. He has killed a woman just to use her apartment. He talked a Deputy Marshal into betraying her oath and that caused her to take her own life. He has betrayed you and he tried to kill you by blowing up a trailer near you. He has threatened to kill you because he knows just how dangerous you can be to him. He knows that you are good and he cannot allow you to live. For that reason, you must kill him."

She had spoken softly and with sincerity and she had kept her hand on his chest the whole time she had talked. Booth knew that Brennan was telling him that she wouldn't hold it against him if he had to kill Jake. She was on his side and she always would be. "Thanks, Bones."

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	80. Chapter 80

(The Blackout in the Blizzard)

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I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Booth couldn't believe his luck. He was sitting in the Royal Dinner enjoying breakfast when he saw two men carry out some stadium seats from an apartment and leave them on the sidewalk. Seats from the Vet. It was insane, but those guys had just dumped them on the curb for trash pickup. "No way, I can't believe it."

Puzzled, Sweets and Brennan looked outside, but all they saw was heavy snow covering everything it touched. "What? The snow?" Sweets knew that Booth was from Philadelphia and snow was nothing new to the man.

"Not snow." Booth knew he had to move fast. "Look those stadium seats are from the Vet. The Vet . . . Veterans Stadium . . . The Eagles . . . The Vet."

Since she didn't understand or care what the excitement was all about, Brennan ended her call from Cam and placed her phone down on the table. "We have to go to the Lab. A body was dumped south of an I-295 underpass. The body has been taken to the Lab because the area the body was found is quickly succumbing to snow. If we go to the Lab now, I can work on it for a few hours before we have to go home. The roads may be impassable this afternoon due to the snow. Cam said she heard the Weather Channel is forecasting a blizzard is moving into this area of the country."

The excitement from Booth was palpable and Lester had looked out the window next to his table, stood up and stared at the Vet seats in awe. "Booth's right, they're from the Vet. We have to get them before someone else does."

"Right." Finally, someone was acknowledging just how important the stadium seats were. "Lester help me move them into my SUV. I'm taking those home."

Before he could get his coat on, Brennan held up her hand. "Booth I need to get to the Lab."

"But the seats." Astonished, Booth continued to put on his coat. "I'm getting those seats first. I'll take you to the Lab afterward."

Before she could protest, Lester spoke up. "We can put the seats in my SUV and I'll drive them over to your place while you take Dr. Brennan to the Lab. I'll come back as soon as I'm done."

"Great, good idea." Booth removed his wallet from his suit coat, threw some money on the table and hurried towards the exit.

Annoyed, Brennan finished sipping her coffee, placed her coat and hat on and pulled her purse strap over her shoulder. "Are you going to the Lab or back to the Hoover?"

Since the weather was getting worse, Sweets thought the city might close down any minute. Quickly drinking the last of his coffee, he stood up and placed his coat on. "I'm going to help them load the seats into Lester's SUV and help him take the seats to your house." The psychologist wanted to show Booth that he could rely upon him just as much as he could Lester. More and more he was starting to feel squeezed out by Booth. Lester hanging around all the time wasn't helping the situation.

Her mind on her work, Brennan walked outside and watched the men struggle to carry the seats across the snow covered street and over to Lester's SUV. Once it was loaded in the back, Brennan walked over to Booth's SUV and entered the truck.

Booth soon arrived and slammed the door closed once he was inside. "Damn it's getting colder." Once he had the SUV started, he watched Lester drive away with his Vet seats then followed down the street, making a right at the next light. "I'm going to put the seats in the Man Cave. Wait until I tell Pops I have seats from the Vet. He won't believe my luck. And it didn't cost me a dime. This is my lucky day."

Not sure why the seats were so valuable to Booth, Brennan adjusted one of the vents to blast some warm air towards her feet and settled back in her seat. "Why are they so valuable?"

"Veterans Stadium opened the year I was born and it was demolished in 2004." Booth reduced the speed of his truck since the streets seemed to be a little icy. "My Aunt Ruth and her partner took me to a few games every year when I was a kid. Pops and Grams took Jared and me to games for our birthday. It . . . it just reminds me of the good times that's all." There was more, but Booth didn't want to dwell on it. His past was so complicated and he didn't like to dwell on it too much.

"I see." Brennan knew about Booth's history and if there were some good days amidst the bad then she could understand why he might want a talisman from that time in his life. "I'm not sure how much work I'll be able to do. The snow is getting thicker so the roads may close sooner than I thought."

Unconcerned, Booth continued to keep an eye on the road feeling the tires slip a little when he turned corners. "If we get stuck at the Lab it won't be so bad. They have coffee and food and I assume they have a backup generator."

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Lester and Sweets carried the stadium seats up the driveway and around to the backyard. Once they were there, they placed them on the patio and hurried back to the SUV. Once they were inside, Lester rolled the truck down the driveway and back onto the snow covered street. "I hope we can make it back to the Hoover, the snow is getting heavier and the wind is picking up."

"It's a twenty minute drive on a good day . . . at least no one else is on the road." Sweets turned the heat up and pulled his hat down further to cover his ears. "I can't believe Booth wanted those seats. They're heavy pieces of junk."

"Junk?" Lester shook his head but kept his eyes on the road. "They're seats from the Vet. Booth is right. It's a piece of history and anyone stupid enough to throw them out deserves to lose them."

Puzzled, Sweets turned his gaze upon the agent. "You're not from Philadelphia. You're from Baltimore. Why such a fan of Veterans Stadium?"

"My Dad was from Bucks County and so was my Mom. My Dad was stationed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis right before I was born. I was born in Baltimore because my Mom had some complications while she was pregnant with me. I was raised in Annapolis . . . Everyone in my family are fans of the Philadelphia teams. It's a Brown family tradition."

Well that cleared that up. "Okay. I don't really follow sports too much . . . except hockey. I like hockey." Sweets had never been to a hockey game until he'd joined the FBI and met Booth. The agent was a fanatic when it came to hockey and Sweets started going to Booth's games because that's what friends do. "So . . . you guys getting closer to finding Brodsky? Guarding Booth from that assassin must be boring."

"Nah, not boring." Lester passed a truck barely moving down the street and shook his fist at the driver as he passed him. "I've been able to observe the cases he's worked on, seen how Booth works with Dr. Brennan. I've picked up a few things, so I'm using it as a learning experience."

"Um, okay." Sweets hadn't been called in lately to profile for Booth and he wasn't sure why. Maybe Lester was the cause and maybe he wasn't. Still, he was still eating lunches with his friend, so that must mean something. "Booth is a pretty good investigator. You can learn a lot from him."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

They had only been in the Lab for fifteen minutes before the power went out. Standing in the dark hallway, Booth waited for the generator to come on and was surprised when the only lights that remained on were the emergency lights that ran by batteries. "Why isn't the generator on?"

Standing in the doorway of her office, Cam laughed. "What generator? I requisitioned one when I took over the Lab, but its been cut out of my budget every year."

Appalled, Booth shook his head. "Are you kidding me? You contract with the FBI on important cases . . . I can't believe you guys don't have a generator."

"Well, we don't. I have some backup batteries attached to the cooler's and we have emergency lights, that's it." Cam walked back into her office, picked up her sweater from her desk and pulled it on. "I do have a closet filled with emergency supplies like flashlights, candles, bottled water, granola bars . . . It's going to get cold in here. I'm going to send everyone home that isn't essential. I should have done it sooner since we may get a blizzard this afternoon."

"This afternoon? You haven't been outside lately." Booth removed his gloves and walked down to Brennan's office where his partner was now donning her lab coat. "No generator?"

"No." Passing Booth as she left her office, Brennan patted his arm. "You can make a coffee run to the Diner for us. Get some coffee for everyone and get us something to eat for lunch. If they're closed, then I guess we'll have to do without."

Since he didn't have anything to do at the moment, he walked back out to his SUV, drove down to the Diner and found the restaurant dark and a sign posted on the door, 'Closed. No power'. Before he could leave, Frankie opened the door and waved Booth inside. "Hey Agent Booth. Come in."

Not sure if it would accomplish anything, Booth entered the place and saw one of the servers sitting at a table next to a large window reading a newspaper. "I was hoping to get some coffee to go and maybe some lunch for later, but if you don't have power . . ."

"Wait, I can set you up." Frankie walked behind the counter and pointed at a cloth covered coffee pot. "I still got coffee and I can make you sandwiches. I was going to go home, but my wife called and said we ain't got power there either. I'm going to stick around here and wait. I can make sandwiches for anyone that comes by . . . for my regular customers. I may leave this afternoon and just remain closed until tomorrow or until we get power back. The buses aren't running so Janet is going to stay here until I leave and I'll take her home."

"I need sandwiches for six people, I guess two each. Some chips and pie for everyone if you still have some. Bones is vegetarian so try to make her something she can eat. I appreciate this Frankie." Booth sat down at the counter and waited.

While Booth was waiting at the diner, Lester pulled up in front of the Hoover and dropped Sweets off. "Is your car here?"

"Yeah, I walked over to the Diner this morning." He hadn't thought that was too clever considering how cold the walk had been, but at least his car was in the parking garage and not buried under snow.

Once he was alone, Lester drove over to the Lab, parked in the parking garage and used the stairs to get to the Lab. Once inside he walked over to the platform and called up to Brennan. "Hey Dr. Brennan, where's Booth?"

"He went back to the Diner for food and coffee."

"Damn it." Turning he raced down the hallway and met Booth walking into the Lab carrying a large sack and a thermos Frankie had lent him filled with coffee. "Booth you can't move around the city without backup."

Handing the bag to Lester, Booth moved past the younger agent. "Place the food upstairs in the break room. It's chilly in here so it should be okay. They're just sandwiches. Bring down some cups and everyone can have a cup of coffee."

The thermos a reminder that this was the last warm drink anyone was going to have for a few hours, Booth walked down to the platform and moved up the stairs. "I got coffee. Lester is getting cups."

Clapping her mitten covered hands, Angela showed how happy she was with that news. "I am going to buy some kind of battery operated coffee maker for this place, just in case this ever happens again."

Amused, Hodgins chuckled. "Not a bad idea. We'll do that." He was working under primitive conditions like everyone else and found it frustrating that he was surrounded by modern equipment and couldn't use them. "I know one thing. I'm going to put a bug in someone's ear and the next time you put in a budget, Cam I'm going to get you the generator you keep asking for. I'll donate one if that's what it takes."

Glad to hear that, Cam smiled. "Good, Wendell I need you to go to the emergency closet and get more candles. I should have bought more battery operated lanterns. I'll correct that next week. I think I'll add a few blankets too."

Everyone worked on identifying the victim and the room suddenly became silent while the squints quietly went about doing what they did best. Soon Lester arrived with cups. "When you guys are ready for coffee, we have some over here with cups." The younger agent placed the cups next to the thermos on a table near the stairs and watched the activity near the examination table continue. He admired the way everyone was working to identify the victim while having to forego electricity. It was very impressive and it made him want to know these people better.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The body had been identified, the murderer had been caught and Booth and Brennan were back home after a trip to the hospital for Booth. Being exposed to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever meant antibiotics for Booth and an order from Deputy Director Fairburn to stay home for three days. He didn't want Booth around if the man might be contagious.

"I should kick Lester's ass." Booth swallowed one of the pills with water and sat glumly on the couch in the semi-dark room. He had found two battery operated lanterns in the garage and had brought them into the living room along with a box of candles.

"Well, he is taking antibiotics too since he helped pull Tariq from off of you so he was exposed too. Fairburn told him he must stay home too." Brennan carried two bottles of beer into the living room along with a bag of chips, a jar of salsa and sat down on the couch.

Annoyed, Booth took the beer bottle and opened it. "He didn't have to laugh when the guy passed out and landed on me. The guy's as big as a mountain and he's heavy."

She decided to change the topic of conversation. "The seats are on the patio. They're covered with snow."

"Yeah, I'll bring them in when the weather is better." Booth sighed. "My Dad took me to game six of the World Series, October 21, 1980."

Surprised that Booth was talking about his father, Brennan knew that he was telling her about something important. "That sounds very important."

"Yeah . . . Pete Rose, Manny Trillo, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton . . . Tug McGraw strikes out Willie Wilson at 11:29 p.m. . . . the Phillies win . . . those seats out on the patio were there."

"And you feel sentimental about them." Brennan could understand since she knew that Booth loved sports.

His voice low, almost wistful, Booth smiled at the memory. "My Dad and I were there . . . He quit drinking for about two weeks. Long enough to remember that I was his kid. It was the greatest day of my life . . . Up until then, Bones. Not now." Booth turned to look at Brennan and raised his voice so that she wouldn't miss what he had to say. "I've had a lot of great days since then. The day Parker was born and the day you and me became a couple. The first time we made love and . . ."

"I understand Booth." Brennan felt sad for her mate. His childhood had been horrific and they both knew that if Hank Booth hadn't walked into his son's house that day when Booth was nine years old and his father was beating him, it was possible that Booth would have died that day. "You had a good day with your father and you want to remember that good day. Those seats represent what your father could have been, not what he was."

Grateful that she understood, Booth sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Yeah . . . those seats . . . My father and I could have sat on those seats, who knows . . . It was a magical day."

"Yes, it was."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

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	81. Chapter 81

(The Feet on the Beach)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

While Booth stoically stood by while Brennan examined feet in shoes on a beach on the American/Canadian border, Lester did his best to keep from looking unprofessional and doing something stupid like throwing up. He'd served in the United States Army as a Ranger before he'd joined the FBI and he'd served overseas twice, once in Iraq and once in Afghanistan. He'd seen bodies blown up and bodies shot, but he'd never seen a bunch of shoes filled with feet. No bodies, just feet and for some reason he didn't quite understand, that was freaking him out. "Doesn't this mean we have someone killing people and cutting off their feet? I mean . . . who does that and where are the bodies that belong to the feet?"

Although Booth found this crime scene to be bad, he'd seen much worse. "Let's not jump the gun there, Lester. We need to find out who these feet belong to before we decide we're dealing with a serial killer . . . I've seen a lot of strange stuff while working for the FBI and there might be a non-serial killer explanation for this."

Brennan agreed. "I prefer to wait until we have more information before I declare this the work of a serial killer. For all we know this could be medical waste . . . although such material is usually incinerated." She was kneeling by one of the shoes containing a foot and after careful observation decided that the foot didn't appear to have been cut from its leg. "I don't see signs of amputation, but I'll have to deflesh the feet to get a better look . . . There are three types of incinerators, controlled air, excess air and rotary kiln . . . I am partial to the rotary kiln method since the carbon footprint is smaller . . . That wasn't a joke by the way . . . As a rule, surgeons don't keep the shoes on the feet of their patients when amputations are done . . . so, probably not hospital waste."

"Yeah, okay." Lester watched as Brennan placed the shoe down and picked up a rotten human foot. Holding the decayed foot next to a nearby empty shoe, she estimated that the size of the foot matched the size of the shoe. Swallowing hard, Lester looked away. "But it seems nuts that it's just feet wearing shoes. That's all I'm saying."

Amused, Booth tried not to laugh. "We found a body once that looked like Chili Con Carne. Turns out some one stabbed and killed the victim with a pencil, froze the body in nitrogen and then shattered the body. The killer swept up the freeze dried chunks into garbage bags and dumped them in a vacant lot for birds to eat . . . the worst bodies we have to deal with are the liquid bodies." Booth hated those and he usually fasted for the rest of the day after dealing with one of those.

"We'll need to take the feet back to the Lab." Brennan stood up and counted the shoes in the area. Before she could instruct the techs to begin the removal process, a man approached and introduced himself.

"Dr. Douglas Filmore . . . I'm here to examine the feet." Filmore recognized Dr. Temperance Brennan immediately and felt his blood pressure rising. "Dr. Brennan it's been quite a while." He wasn't sure what to say, but it was his plan to remain civil, even if she had repudiated his work in a prestigious magazine. He was professional and he could work with anyone. He was also Canadian and he was determined to keep the Canadian feet in Canada. He didn't care what Dr. Brennan did with the American feet. Canadian feet belonged to Canada. It was a matter of national pride.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Once they were back in Booth's SUV, Booth turned to look at Brennan while Lester unbuttoned his jacket and leaned back against the passenger seat behind Booth. "You wrote an article about the guy and now his arm is paralyzed? We'll be lucky if we ever see the feet on the Canadian side again. Dr. Filmore didn't act like he was going to cooperate with us at all."

"He wants to call himself a forensic podiatrist, Booth. That's ridiculous." Annoyed, Brennan stared straight ahead not carrying to look at her partner for the moment. "And I am not responsible for Dr. Filmore's health issues. That's ridiculous too."

After a few minutes of bickering between the partners, Lester sighed and tried to break up the show in the front seat. "So, how do we get access to the feet that Dr. Filmore has?"

"I have some contacts with the RCMP. I'll make a few phone calls." Booth kept his eyes on the road. They were on the way back to the District and they were still on a dirt road. "If I can't swing it Caroline can." He knew how passionate Brennan was, but he wasn't so sure she was right this time. He didn't see why there couldn't be a forensic podiatrist, but he also didn't want to argue about it either. "Bones, if we can't get the feet back, you may have to go to Canada and ask Dr. Filmore to let you examine them. I hope you're prepared to do that?"

"I am." Irritated with the interference in her case, Brennan crossed her arms against her breasts. "The feet should be brought to the Lab since I work there and I am the leading forensic anthropologist in the world, but I understand that this is politics. I will do what I have to do in order to work on our case."

Grateful that Brennan was being reasonable, Booth smiled. "Thanks Bones. I appreciate the teamwork."

"You're welcome." Her irritation dissolving, Brennan shook her head. "I hate politics, but I do understand that there must be some capitulation when dealing with foreign governments. That doesn't mean I have changed my mind about Dr. Filmore's belief that there should be a forensic podiatrist. If he won't bring the feet to me then I will go to the feet."

Amused, Lester laughed. "I should get that printed on a t-shirt." Since Brennan and Booth decided to ignore him, Lester turned to look out of the side window and at the trees and bushes they were passing. "Mountain . . . feet . . . close enough." Quietly chuckling, Lester couldn't help but think that this case was a welcome diversion from Brodsky. It worried him that no one knew where Brodsky was, but one thing was certain, he doubted Brodsky was hanging out in the woods on the American/Canadian border.

Oooooooooooooooo

The trip to the body farm was everything Lester hoped it wouldn't be. After they had arrived and entered the grounds, Brennan had become as excited as a young schoolgirl. He thought the words giddy and bubbly would apply, but who would believe him if he told them that Dr. Temperance had been giddy and bubbly? _No one, that's who._ Bodies rotting in the sun, in dark barns, in a water tank, hanging from a rope and Brennan had to point out why each scene was so special.

What Lester found most upsetting was the body that exploded as they passed it. Though Booth and Brennan managed to get away from the awful eruption, Lester hadn't and some of the body fluids and torn flesh had landed on his jacket and in his hair. "Claire is going to have a major cow when she sees my jacket. I just bought it last week." Running a comb through his hair, he combed out the bits of flesh clinging to his hair and knew that the comb was going in the trash as soon as possible. "They should have signs up warning you that bodies may explode."

"Stop complaining, Lester." Booth was growing tired of the muttering behind his back. "Go back to the truck and wait for me."

"No can do, Booth." Lester moved closer and looked around. "I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight . . . I got a text message from Harris a little while ago. He says that Brodsky was spotted in the Dallas, Texas area yesterday. Someone on the Dallas police department reported it, so it's plausible."

It made sense to Booth. "His parents are buried in Dallas, so maybe he went to visit their grave site. I think the anniversary of their death is this month. They were killed in a car accident along with Brodsky's sister. He's been on his own since he was nineteen."

"That's tough." Lester sent a message to Harris with the information that Booth had just given him. "Maybe he'll make a mistake and he'll get caught down there."

"I wouldn't count on it." Booth was certain that Brodsky would be careful while he was in Dallas. The man was a professional and he wouldn't make a rookie mistake. "I'm pretty sure Jake will be back."

While they walked around the body farm, Lester kept an eye on Booth. He didn't know if Brodsky was in Dallas or not, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. He had a job to do. He was Booth's backup and he wasn't going to relax until Brodsky was either dead or in prison.

Oooooooooooooooo

The killer had been caught and Lester was disgusted. "Weed? The guy was killed with a lawn mower because he was a weed grower? If it had been me and the guy had ruined my experiment, I'd have sued him and made him pay for another semester. Running him over with a lawn mower was just . . ." People were killed for the dumbest reasons and this was just one more example. "Now we have one guy dead and one guy going to prison because they both made foolish choices."

Used to the vagaries of people, Booth shrugged his shoulders, picked up his glass of beer and stared at the foam on top. "You'll get used to it . . . either that or you'll quit. It's not going to get better. Being an FBI agent means you get to see the crazy ass things people do when they're mad or upset, or greedy or just plain mean. It never ends."

Sounding a little too fatalistic for his taste, Lester threw a bill on the table and stood up. "Agent Johnson is here, so I'm going home."

Once Lester was gone, Brennan took a sip of beer from her glass and glanced at Agent Johnson who was sitting at the bar. "It's hard to relax when we're under constant observation."

"You don't really relax Bones. Well, not most of the time." A sly smile on his face, Booth glanced at Johnson then leaned closer towards Brennan and lowered his voice. "Although you were very relaxed last night."

"I was, Booth. You were very good at satisfying me and I slept very soundly." Brennan loved to tell Booth how much she appreciated his abilities in bed. It pleased him and it pleased her. She knew she could count on him when she needed him and she knew that he knew he could count on her. "We are very compatible when it comes to our private life."

Finishing his drink. Booth sat back and smiled. "Yeah, we are. I'm going to be glad when we get Brodsky. Having Lester around is a pain in the ass . . . still, he's getting a lot of experience in the field and he'll be a good partner for Harris . . . I don't think Sweets likes Lester that much. I'm not sure why . . . So, Dr. Filmore is cured. We still have a good relationship with Canada. We caught our murderer and you got to visit a body farm. We had a pretty good week."

"Yes, we did." Brennan had enjoyed visiting the body farm. It had been a new experience for her. "I plan to send my interns to the body farm so they can see it for themselves. I think they will find it as fascinating as I did."

"Yeah, fascinating. That's what I would call it . . . fascinating." Booth just hoped he never had to go back there again.

Ooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	82. Chapter 82

(The Hole in the Heart)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

While the search for Jacob Brodsky continued, Booth and Brennan continued to roll out for cases. Jacob had been spotted in Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis and oddly enough, in Alexandria, Louisiana. The tips came in and each one was checked into and verified, but Jacob always managed to evade the police and show up in another city. Booth had tried to find a pattern to Jacob's movements and found that the sightings occurred right after someone had been murdered from a distance with a rifle. The FBI offered the local authorities their help and provided material about Jacob Brodsky and how he worked. The cooperation helped solve the murders, but it didn't lead to the arrest of Jacob Brodsky.

"It's been two months and Brodsky is still running around killing people." Booth's frustration was growing and there was nothing he could do about it. "I've told Fairburn that I need to concentrate on looking for Brodsky. He agreed. Jake has been connected to four murders in the last 7 weeks. That's seven too many." He still regretted not shooting Brodsky when he'd had the chance, but that was the past and there was nothing he could do about that.

Since Booth wasn't the only person frustrated with Brodsky's ability to evade arrest, Brennan felt that Booth was right. "I have had the information about the murders Brodsky committed in the last seven weeks sent to the Jeffersonian. Hodgins and Angela are trying to determine if there are any patterns in Brodsky's movements. So far, there isn't any. He is being paid to assassinate people he considers evil. He's the one that creates the client, by contacting them. He doesn't provide a way to contact him . . . Houston, Dallas and Alexandria are within a 325 mile radius. He appeared to be staying close to Dallas until his trip to Indianapolis . . . He's committed murders here in the District, so I don't think he really has a base he operates out if. He's unpredictable."

Sitting in Brennan's office with Booth, Lester decided to interrupt the conversation. "Harris says that the Cincinnati police contacted the FBI last night. They have a murder that fits Brodsky's modus operandi. He was working in the south and west and now he's in the mid-west. If he has a pattern then I don't see it."

Disgusted, Booth shook his head. "He's threatened to kill me, so he'll be back in the area sooner or later. I know Jake . . . well, I used to know him . . . but I think we can count on him coming after me. He blames me for Paula Ashwaldt killing herself and to him, I'm the face of the FBI. I'm a threat to him and he won't tolerate that for long."

The calm way he spoke about Brodsky's plan to kill him made Brennan feel uncomfortable. "We're not going to let anything happen to you, Booth." She was determined to save her mate and if she could find a way to kill Brodsky she would do it.

"Thanks, Bones." Booth knew he was upsetting Brennan and that isn't what he had meant to do. "Everyone is looking for him. He can't evade arrest forever." _At least I hope not._

Oooooooooooooooo

Brodsky was spotted at the grave site of Paula Ashwaldt and Special Agent Genevieve Shaw had shown up dressed as a grounds keeper to see if it was true. She had spied Brodsky kneeling beside Ashwaldt's grave and she had taken his picture for verification. Unfortunately, Brodsky had noticed her actions, placed a bouquet of flowers on the grave and quickly left the cemetery. She had tried to follow him, but she had watched him jog over to a cab and watched it drive away with Brodsky in the back seat. Shaw had called in the number of the cab, but when the police had pulled it over ten blocks away there was no passenger. The cab driver told the police officer that his client had left the cab three blocks from the cemetery.

Disappointed that Brodsky had got away, Booth still found one good thing to be grateful about the incident, at least he knew that Brodsky was in the area. "He left a phone in the flowers. I hit speed dial and Jacob answered. We talked for a little while . . . he threatened to kill me which wasn't surprising. He thinks he's doing the right thing killing the people he's killing and he won't stop until we make him stop."

"Perhaps you should talk to Sweets." Brennan hated psychology, but Booth considered the psychologist to be a good profiler. "Perhaps he has some insight into what Brodsky is trying to achieve by coming back."

"He wants to kill Booth. That's what he's trying to achieve." Lester didn't care for psychologists either and he thought they caused more problems than they were worth. "I know you use Dr. Sweets as a profiler, but we already know who we're looking for and what motivates him. Brodsky is after you, Booth. You don't need a profiler to tell you that."

The fact that Brodsky had provided him with a phone was interesting and Booth wanted to know why. "I think I'll talk to Sweets anyway. Brodksy left me a phone. I want to know why he did it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Lester knew that all he could do was give his opinion. He was still learning the trade and Booth was the head of his division. "Mr. Nigel-Murray says you guys ordered a dinosaur for some conference you're going to, Dr. Brennan. You can order a dinosaur?"

"A skeletal replica. The paper we're going to be giving is titled 'The Comparative Forelimb Osteology and Biomechanics of Theropod Versus Homo sapiens'."

He knew what homo sapiens was and a few of the other words she had said, but Lester didn't have a clue what Brennan was talking about. "Cool, I'm sure you'll knock them dead."

Amused, Booth had no idea what Brennan was talking about and he was sure Lester didn't either. "Yeah, Bones has some great ideas. She is the best forensic anthropologist in the country."

"The world." Quickly correcting her partner, Brennan made sure he understood where she was in the hierarchy of her profession.

"Yeah, the world." Standing, Booth stretched his back. "I'm going back to the Hoover. Agent Shaw is trying to trace the phone Brodsky left me. I'm sure it's a burner phone, but it's worth a try. See you tonight."

Once she was alone, Brennan spoke to Angela and told her that Brodsky was in the area. She hoped the assassin would make a mistake and he was found before he killed anyone else.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Sweets had warned Booth that someone might try to help Brodsky because he didn't know what Jacob was up to. He was also certain that if Brodsky asked someone to do something for him and that person refused to do it then Brodsky would consider that person an enemy and the assassin might do something about it.

Agent Shaw had looked through known associates of Brodsky in the DC area and had found that Matthew Leishenger had withdrawn $2000 in cash from his bank account in the last 48 hours. That wasn't normal behavior for Leishenger and Shaw thought it might be a connection to Brodsky. Appreciating her initiative, Booth had taken Shaw with him when he and Lester drove out to a piece of property that Lesihenger owned to confront the man. What they found was a decayed body in a field that wildlife had been feasting on for two days. They also found an empty gun case for a Barrett Sniper rifle. Booth found a wallet lying next to the body and the ID inside seemed to confirm that Lesihenger was dead.

Wary of the situation, all three agents spread out just in case Brodsky was still in the area. A camera tied to a tree branch alerted Booth that Brodsky was probably watching them. He shot the camera to keep Brodsky from tracking them, but he knew that Brodsky was now aware that they knew that Leishenger was dead and his rifle was missing.

After the FBI tech team showed up at Leishenger's property with Hodgins in tow, Booth, Shaw and Lester left. The body, the wallet and the rifle case were going to be delivered to the Jeffersonian and Booth wanted to get back to the Hoover as soon as possible. Brodsky had killed again and the agent needed to alert law enforcement in the area and that it was important they find Brodsky before he left the area again.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Much to everyone's horror the next day, while Booth and Lester were at the Lab, Brodsky shot through the glass ceiling and killed Brennan's intern, Vincent Nigel Murray. Booth had been standing on the platform talking to Brennan when Brodsky's phone had rung. Trying to pinpoint the cell tower Brodsky was using, Booth handed the phone to Vincent to answer while Booth used his phone and a special app that Angela had downloaded to find Brodsky. Once Vincent accepted the call, Brodsky had shot at the man holding the phone assuming that it was Booth.

During the ensuing chaos, Booth threw Vincent to the floor while Lester pushed Brennan under an examination table. The pierced glass roof rained broken glass on the platform, but thankfully it was tempered glass, so there were no glass projectiles to harm the people standing below.

It didn't take long for everyone to realize that Vincent had been shot and though Booth tried to slow the bleeding he couldn't. Vincent's heart beat hard trying to save his body and his blood pumped out through the hole in his heart with each heartbeat. Vincent had been aware that he was dying and he had asked not to go, but Brodsky's skillful shot had doomed the young man. In a few minutes, the intern was dead.

Stunned, Brennan stared at her intern and tried to shake herself from the fog she felt enveloping her. "You did everything you could." She wanted Booth to know that she knew he had tried his best, but Vincent had been doomed the minute he had been shot. She knew that, but she had hoped Booth could save the boy anyway. "You were very brave." The last thing she wanted to happen was for Booth to blame himself. "I saw everything and you did what you could."

Watching the tragedy play out before him, Lester felt helpless as he watched the intern die. He had seen death before while in a war zone and he had known the minute Vincent had been shot that the boy wasn't going to make it. He assumed that Booth had known it too, but he had tried to save the young man for his partner, for Brennan.

Ooooooooooooooooo

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	83. Chapter 83

(The Hole in the Heart)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

With every law enforcement agency looking for Jacob Brodsky, Booth hoped it would just be a matter of time before someone spotted the assassin and he was brought down. Because Brodsky had tried to assassinate him at the Lab, Deputy Director Fairburn had now assigned two FBI Agents to follow him around and Booth was losing his patient. He made it clear to Agents Brown and Park that he didn't want them under foot, but he knew the agents would do their job and ignore what he wanted if they had to.

Added to his trouble was the fact that Brennan was taking her intern's death rather badly. No one else seemed to see it, but he did. When she spoke, she did it stiffly with little emotion in her voice. She was fighting tears and that upset Booth. He wanted her to mourn her intern, but he knew she wouldn't do it in front of her friends and employees. As soon as he could, he took her home and once they were in their house away from prying eyes, he turned to her and opened his arms wide. "Temperance." He spoke softly and hoped she would understand.

She did.

Moving into his embrace, Brennan let herself weep for her intern. "He kept saying 'Don't make me go'".

Her words were blurred with emotion which made it hard to understand her, but Booth knew she was pouring her heart out to him. He just needed to understand. "What?"

"Vincent. He was looking at me and he was saying 'Don't make me leave'. Why would he think I'm the one making him leave? What kind of person am I?"

Horrified that Brennan thought Vincent was talking to her, Booth knew he had to make her understand. This situation was worse than he thought. "No . . . No, you got that all wrong, Bones, all right? You got it all wrong. He wasn't talking to you. He was talking to God. He didn't want to die."

"No, Booth." Brennan clutched Booth's coat and sobbed. "No, Vincent was like me. He was an atheist."

"Okay, then he was talking to the Universe. He didn't want to go, he wasn't ready." Booth held his partner in his arms and let her cry. He was there to protect her and comfort her. "He wanted to stay. He was pleading with whatever or whoever he considered to control the universe not you."

Suddenly angry, Brennan stood back and dashed her hands against her cheeks trying to wipe away the tears. "Well, if there was a God, then he would have let Vincent stay here with us." She was angry that if Booth's God really did exist, he had taken someone kind and intelligent like Vincent. As far as she concerned, the world needed more people like her intern, not less.

He recognized her anger and knew that he'd had the same thoughts when his buddies had been killed by an IED or a stray bullet. He'd agonized over why God would take their lives when they were trying to protect people and destroy the evil in the world. He had come to realize that the world may not make sense to him, but it did to the designer of everything and he had to accept it. "That's not how it works, Bones." He didn't know how he could explain it when he barely understood himself, but he would try if she asked.

Moving back into his embrace, Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth's chest and felt his arms move around her giving her a safe place to mourn. This was what she had needed. "I know." She did not believe in God and she knew that no one had control over what happened in the world. Chaos reigned most of the time and it was up to her to find balance and a refuge from that chaos. She did when she was with Booth. He understood her when no one else did and for that her she was grateful.

Oooooooooooooo

With Hodgins' help, Booth was able to track down Brodsky to the Port in Wilmington. Once he was there with his temporary bodyguards, he had Park close down the main gate and not allow anyone in or out while he and Lester headed for the ship 'The Persophone'. Park called HRT to head to the port for backup and stood in front of the gate control preventing the port security guard from reopening the gate.

Armed, Booth and Lester moved towards the ship using caution. They knew that Brodsky was in the port, but they didn't know if he was on the ship or in the yard. Since they were visibly armed and didn't have time to announce to the men and women they met that they were agents their presence caused a certain amount of confusion and bedlam. People working in the yard had no idea what was going on and their only concern was to escape the yard by heading to the gate. The chaos being caused by the agents drew Brodsky's attention and he knew it was time to confront Booth. He didn't want to deal with two agents at once, so he quickly set himself up on top of a stack of trailers and as soon as he spotted the two men, he shot at Lester.

Fortunately for the younger agent, the bullet meant for the middle of his head grazed the side of his head instead. It caused him to fall and to blackout temporarily which worried Booth. After he made sure Lester was just grazed, he waited for a few moments, saw a security guard staring at him a few feet away, flashed his badge and pointed at the downed agent. "I need you to watch Agent Brown. I'm after a wanted murderer." Once the guard was standing next to Lester ready to guard him, Booth called Agent Park to let him know to send help for Lester and he continued his hunt for Brodsky. He couldn't stay with Lester and risk losing Brodsky. This needed to end and end today.

Determined to find the assassin, Booth stalked him through a portion of the yard filled with tractor trailers. Wary that Brodsky might go for the high ground, he kept his eyes upward as he moved through the yard. After weaving through a pile of the trailers, Booth noticed Brodsky on the top of a trailer looking outward. Feeling uncharitable, he shot the man in the leg and watched him fall. It had been his intention to let Brodsky give up, but after the English Interns' death and Lester's injury, Booth decided that Brodsky needed to be treated like a terrorist. No sympathy, nor quarter given. Brodsky had tried to kill him twice and he was not going to play anymore games.

After Brodsky fell, Booth moved around the trailers and found Brodsky on the ground, his hand over the wound on his leg. With blood seeping around his splayed fingers, Brodsky looked up at Booth with a look of pure hate. "You're really so damn positive you're the good guy in this?"

Staring down at a man that he used to call his friend, Booth knew that Brodsky stood for everything he hated. "Positive as you are. Difference is, I'm right." Patiently, Booth called Agent Park and let him know he had Brodsky and where to find them. "Leishenger was our brother in arms, Jake. He served with you for four years . . . you murdered a good man. You turned into the evil we fought together, that Leishenger fought against."

Brodsky lay on the ground staring at Booth and didn't respond. He had no answers for Booth.

Ooooooooooooooooo

The danger over, Booth took Brodsky to the hospital to be treated then to the Hoover to be processed. Once that was done he drove over to the Lab to check on his partner. Once he was in the building, he noticed Cam standing in her office and waved at her but didn't stop to talk to her. Striding down the hallway, he ignored several greetings from various techs and squints and kept moving. Once he was in Brennan's office, he smiled at her as she turned to look at him. "Hey, Bones."

Relieved to see him whole and unhurt, Brennan rushed across the room and into his waiting arms. "Harris called me and told me you were alright."

"Yeah, Lester got a nick on his head, but he's going to be okay. He's at the hospital and his wife is there." Glad that Brodsky was no longer a danger to him or his partner, Booth knew he could relax, at least for now. "It's over, Bones. Brodsky is in lockup and he's never getting out."

They held each other and enjoyed the freedom of being close and not having to worry about anyone but themselves. Before they became partners, they had kept a distance between them they considered safe for their partnership. There had been a certain mutual attraction, but they had both been afraid to do anything about it. They didn't want to risk their partnership or their growing friendship, but it took a bullet from a stalker to make them realize that what they were doing was wrong. They had a choice to make, they threw caution to the wind and let their relationship evolve into something they both wanted and needed.

"I still have a meeting to attend with Fairburn in an hour, so we can't go home, but I didn't want to go another minute without seeing you." He continued to hold Brennan against his body, relishing the feel of her arms around his body. "I love you Bones and I was never going to let Brodsky hurt you."

"I love you too, Booth and I made the same vow. If Brodsky had come into my presence, I would have done everything possible to kill him." Brennan loved Booth too much to lose him and she needed him to know that.

"I know." Booth waited a few more minutes then moved away from Brennan. "I have that meeting." Moving back to stand closer, he kissed her. "I really do have a meeting."

Chuckling, Brennan gently pushed him away. "Then go to your meeting Booth." Before he left her office, Brennan she called out to him, moved over to the doorway and kissed him. "Go to your meeting."

"Yeah." One more kiss and he finally left the room calling out to her. "I'm going to my meeting."

She watched him walk away, but she knew she would see him again in a few hours. It was easy to let him go when she knew he was safe.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	84. Chapter 84

(The Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Feeling better than he had for the last few days, Lester sat in Booth's office and waited for the man to come back from a meeting with the Deputy Director. Booth had asked him to meet with him at ten, but obviously his meeting was running over.

"Good, you're here." The meeting had lasted longer that Booth had wanted it to, but the Director had interrupted their meeting and Booth had to stay to answer questions the Director had about the capture of Brodsky. Moving around his desk, Booth sat down, leaned back against his chair and stared at the younger agent. "How's your head? The headaches gone?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Lester placed his hand over the gauze still covering the laceration on his head. "The stitches are itchy, but the headache went away."

Glad to hear that, Booth nodded his head. "Good. I don't expect to have you go out in the field for the rest of the week. Your job following me around is over. Next week, you're going to partner up with Harris. You can learn a lot from him. He's been with the FBI for as long as I have and he knows what he's doing. He solved the David Porter case last year and he did it through perseverance. He had almost no leads, but he had noticed there was a soda bottle near the victim and when he found out that Porter was a diabetic he had the bottle tested for prints. When that came back negative, he had the liquid inside the bottle checked. There was enough to do a DNA test and that DNA test eventually led to the murderer. Once he's on a case, it rarely becomes a cold case. You couldn't have a better partner."

"I'll keep that in mind." He wasn't sure why, but Harris made Lester more nervous than working with Booth. Harris was a taciturn fellow and Lester liked to talk. He wasn't sure who was going to drive who crazy first. "I heard that Brodsky wants a trial and that's his right, but he knows the evidence is overwhelming, why bother."

"He doesn't care how long a trial would take. He has the time and he might be counting on finding a jury that will believe he was the good guy going after bad guys. He doesn't have anything to lose by trying that option." Booth had hoped his former brother in arms would admit his guilt and forgo a trial, but that wasn't going to happen. He was certain that Brennan was going to be recused because one of Brodsky's victims had been Brennan's intern. He hadn't told Brennan that yet. He knew she was going to fight Caroline to be included as an expert witness, but there was no way any judge would allow Brennan to testify. He wouldn't want to risk a mistrial.

The skin around his stitches feeling itchy, Lester placed his hands under his armpits and tried to ignore it. "Since he shot me, I'll probably be recused . . . Claire says that she heard that Dean Bryce may take Brodsky's case. He's a hot shot lawyer at her firm and he rarely loses a case."

"He'll lose this one." Booth was certain when it came to anyone going up against Caroline Julian, they were more than likely to lose. "Caroline rarely loses a case and this time the evidence is overwhelming. Brodsky is toast."

"I hope you're right." Lester knew that if Brodsky walked, he might set off a chain of events what would be unfortunate. Too many people wanted Brodsky dead. The courts needed to take care of Brodsky and not a vigilante. His victims needed justice even if they were scum. Their families deserved closure even if their loved ones weren't part of polite society. That was how it was supposed to work. No one deserved to be murdered in cold blood.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

It had been eight days since Vincent Nigel-Murray had died and Brennan was still mourning her intern. She had flown to England along with Cam, Hodgins and Angela for her intern's funeral and that had been a very sad affair. Mrs. Nigel-Murray had taken the death of her son very hard and had cried during the funeral and his internment. She had seemed inconsolable and Brennan had felt worried for the woman. Her husband and her younger son had stood by her side and helped when they could, but Brennan could see that Mrs. Nigel-Murray was heart broken and she might take a long time to recover.

During Vincent's wake, Mrs. Nigel-Murray had listened to Brennan tell her about Vincent, about his thirst for knowledge, his joy in science and his love affair with facts. Beatrice had listened closely to what Brennan had to say and after one amusing story about an experiment that had gone wrong for Vincent and Hodgins, the woman had hugged Brennan and thanked her. "My Vincent loved facts. He was a bashful bit when he was a youngster, but he found a way to make friends through facts. He was the one his friends came to when they had questions about how things worked. Our Vincent always seemed to know the answers to any question he was asked and if he didn't know, he'd find out as soon as he could . . . He loved you Dr. Brennan. He respected you. He loved you as his teacher and his mentor and he hoped to be as famous as you are someday . . . I guess that won't happen now." She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and gave Brennan a watery smile. "Thank you so much for all the things you did for my boy. Thank you for coming to his funeral. He would have been so proud to know that you thought enough of him to come."

"He was one of my best interns, Mrs. Nigel-Murray." Brennan had returned Beatrice's hug even though hugs from strangers made her feel uncomfortable. "He learned things quickly, he was tenacious and I could count on him to provide me with accurate findings. He was about to finish his doctoral program and I could see he was going to have no trouble with the boards. He will be greatly missed by me and everyone that knew him."

Proud of her son, Beatrice released Brennan and dabbed at her eyes again with her soggy tissue. "Thank you, Dr. Brennan. Thank you for your kind words." Beatrice had talked to Hodgins, Angela and Cam and felt better knowing that her son had nice friends and co-workers while he was in America. Though still devastated with the loss of her son, she could see that her boy had been happy working at the Lab and that everyone enjoyed having Vincent's company. She would never forget her son and she knew that he would not be forgotten by those who knew him. Vincent had died, but he would live in the memories of many people, not just his family.

Oooooooooooooooo

"I would like to set up a scholarship in Mr. Nigel-Murray's name." Brennan sat on the couch, staring at her hands as they rested on her lap. "He will never finish his program and get his doctorate, but he deserves to be honored in some way. If I can sponsor a few students, they can finish what he couldn't. Mr. Bray could benefit from the scholarship. It would help cover his expenses, the cost of his education and he could begin to repay the neighbors who invested in his education so far. I know he worries about making money and paying them back . . . Angela told me about their investment in his education."

"That sounds like a great idea, Bones." After pouring wine into two glasses, Booth carried the glasses to the couch, handed one of the glasses to Brennan and sat down beside her. "I know it's pretty expensive to get an education. I went to college using the GI Bill. I couldn't have afforded it on my own. Wendell is a good guy and he could use the financial help."

She took a sip of the wine and placed the wine glass on the coffee table. "I was fortunate to earn two scholarships and they still didn't cover all of my expenses. I had to work part-time while I went to University, before I earned my doctorate . . . I think I will set up the scholarship and award it to one of my most deserving students each year, someone that needs financial help to help defray the rising costs of getting their education. I think a full scholarship . . . Mr. Bray will be in the program for at least four more years since it takes about seven to eight years to get a doctorate in forensic anthropology. I can pay for the last years he has before he graduates which will allow him to use the money he earns as my intern to begin repaying the people he owes money to."

Proud of his partner, Booth placed his glass on the coffee table and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Vincent was a weird guy, but I liked him . . . I'm sorry I couldn't go with you to the funeral, but I had too much work to do back here."

"Don't worry about that, Booth. I understand." She knew that he had fallen behind on paperwork the last few weeks before Brodsky had been captured and he needed to catch up so that he could return to working on other cases with her in the field. "Angela, Cam and Hodgins were with me. Hodgins' family jet was very spacious and better than first class on a normal passenger jet. The food was much better too . . . Hodgins told me that he misses Mr. Nigel-Murray and getting us to his funeral was important. He wanted to say goodbye . . . He understands that my intern is dead and that there was no one to say goodbye to . . . It's like when you talk to my mother standing in front of her gravestone."

"I get it, Bones." Booth knew that his partner didn't believe in an afterlife but he did. He found it comforting to know that someday he'd see his grandmother and his Aunt Ruth again. He missed them even though they had died over 20 years ago. He looked forward to meeting Brennan's mother and he was counting on Brennan getting into heaven since she did a lot of good works. "Still, I'm glad you weren't there alone."

Sad, Brennan knew that she would never forget her English intern. "He was really looking forward to going to the symposium. I missed it of course. I still plan to present a paper to the committee and I will give Mr. Nigel-Murray the credit he deserves for helping me gather the data. It will be the only scientific paper he will ever have his name listed in as a contributor." She felt a tear slide down her cheek and brushed it away. Leaning against Booth, she felt the warmth of his body next to hers and felt comforted. She wasn't alone.

Oooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	85. Chapter 85

('The Change in the Game')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

While Booth was talking to Max about their murder victim Jeff Fowler and Jeff's bowling team, he realized that he might have found a way to cheer up Brennan. She had been sad ever since her intern had been murdered and as far as Booth could tell she was still mourning Vincent's death. It worried him and he wanted to get her out of her funk if possible and what better way to do that than to go undercover. He knew that his partner enjoyed the make believe lives they lived when they went undercover and he hoped that would move her past Vincent's untimely death.

"I love to go undercover, Booth." Brennan had stopped at a wig store and had bought a curly, dark brown wig. She had seen a movie once, where one of the characters had worn such a hair style and Brennan thought she could play that character while under cover. The last time she had played Wanda she had worn her hair straight and tied in a bun, this time she wanted to portray a more down to earth character, not a carnival worker. "It seems to fit in with how I want to play Wanda, Booth. An average working woman, someone a little low on the social strata, but confident in who she is . . . do you like it?"

Amused, Booth had asked her to model the wig and decided she was on to something. "Kind of retro . . . I like it. Maybe, Buck should be retro too." Fingering her wig, Booth liked the curls. "It reminds me of a girl I dated in high school. She had curly hair too. Her hair was black, but still . . . you look hot Wanda, very hot." He'd changed his speaking style to a hard Philly accent and leered at his partner. "Sizzling."

"Well, sizzling was what I was after." Laughing, Brennan slowly turned so that Booth could see the full effect. "I bought a blouse and slacks that I think will complete the image I'm looking for."

"I see I'm going to have to go the thrift store and find something to make me look hot too." Booth grinned and gave her his charm smile. "You can't be the only hot thing in the bowling alley."

Laughing, Brennan moved closer toward her partner and pulled him into a kiss. Forgetting for the moment that they were supposed to be planning what they were going to do at the bowling alley in a few hours to look for a murderer, Booth pulled Brennan down on the bed with him and decided an hour of fun time wouldn't hurt anything. "I love you, Bones."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Max found it amusing that his daughter and Booth had come up with a new look for their undercover role and decided that they would fit in pretty well. Working class people who liked bowling. The couple reminded him of people he had met in his life unwilling to let go of their youth, no matter how old they were. "Okay, just don't embarrass me. I bowl with these people and some of them are my friends."

Unconcerned, Booth glanced around the bowling alley and knew that they would do their job and if that made Max uncomfortable then too bad. They found the team they were subbing on, introduced themselves and got ready to bowl. Booth was a good bowler and owned his own ball, but not his own shoes. He had worn out the last pair he'd had and hadn't replaced them. It never seemed like he had extra time to bowl anymore so why buy shoes when he could rent them? Brennan wasn't thrilled about renting bowling shoes, but she did it because she knew that Wanda wouldn't care. She knew how to play her part.

While Booth bowled, Brennan observed the other players surrounding them. She asked questions and tried to not to be obvious why she was asking about Jeff Fowler. The man had been a great bowler and some of the ladies on the league had had an affair with him, but after talking to several bowlers on Booth's team as well as the competition, she soon found out that Jeff was disliked by most of the people in the league. Jeff had been a cruel practical joker, a harsh critic of those that didn't bowl well and few of the people in the bowling alley cared if Jeff was dead or alive. It was apparent he would not be missed.

One of the bowlers had summed up Jeff's life and Booth sensed the man was correct. Jeff had been a big fish in a dinky little pond. In other words, Jeff was influential within the limited scope of the group he was in. A man who was probably insignificant in the bigger world around him and most of the people that knew him were aware of that fact even if Jeff wasn't.

It only took a few hours for them to discover that a bowling alley employee, the shoe guy had killed Jeff. The victim had been obnoxious and his personal hygiene habits had driven the shoe guy to hit him with his motorcycle helmet. He hadn't realized that he had hit Jeff that hard, but once he had found that he had a body on his hands, he panicked and dumped the body in one of the pinsetters. The bowling alley was down for maintenance and restoration at the time and he had hoped the body might be eaten by rats and mice before it was discovered. Of course, the body had been discovered with enough tissue and bones to make identification possible and it had gone downhill from there for the shoe guy.

Ooooooooooooooo

"The child that was on your bowling team . . . Amber? I meant what I said when I told you if we ever have a child, she will not turn out like her." Brennan and Booth were walking down the street to an all night diner for a cup of coffee. They needed to go to the hospital since Angela was having her baby, but Booth wanted the coffee and Brennan had agreed that they probably had time. "That child is obnoxious and one of the most self-centered children I have ever met."

His hand clasping Brennan's hand, Booth listened to his partner and wondered why she was so upset about someone they were never going to see again. "That's never ever going to happen, Bones. Never."

Brennan stopped and pulled Booth to a stop with her. "I . . . I want to tell you something, but I'm not sure how you will react. That makes me nervous Booth."

Curious, Booth turned to face Brennan. "You never have to be nervous with me, Bones. You know you can always be honest and tell me anything."

Her bottom lip captured between her teeth, Brennan knew that she needed to talk to Booth, but she didn't know if this was the right time. "Angela is having a baby."

"Yeah, I know. We need to go get that coffee and head out to the hospital if we want to be there when the baby is born." Booth stared at his partner and saw the look of uncertainty on her face. "Come on Bones. You can count on me. Just say what you want to say."

"I'm pregnant." She hadn't meant to blurt out those words that way, but she had and she couldn't take them back. "I found out this morning. My gynecologist called me with the news right after you called me and told me we had a case."

Shocked, Booth was speechless for a few moments while her words whirled around in his head. "I . . . Bones." He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her.

Their kiss was tender and Brennan knew that she should have told her lover sooner. "Are you happy?" She hoped she was reading Booth correctly. She hoped he wanted the child.

"Happy? Are you kidding me?" Booth's grin was so wide, his face was hurting. "I'm beyond happy. What's better than happy? Ecstatic? Joyful? Excited? Bones, this is great. I mean, we take precautions . . . well, most of the time. Okay, we forget sometimes and . . . wow, you're pregnant. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Amused, Brennan shook her head. "I don't know. It's too soon to tell."

"Oh yeah I guess I know that . . . it's just, Wow, this is great, Bones." Booth hugged his lover and knew that this was one of the best days of his life. He didn't have a lot of those, but he remembered them all, when Parker was born, the first time he had made love to Brennan and now she was pregnant. "Are you happy?" As far as he could tell, Brennan was happy, but also nervous. "I'll help whenever I can. You can count on me Bones. You know you can."

"I know, Booth." Relieved that this was going better than she had hoped for, she was startled when her phone rang. After she had a quick conversation with Hodgins, she placed her phone back in her jacket pocket. "We need to go to the hospital. Hodgins thinks Angela will be delivering her baby very soon."

Moving back down the sidewalk towards his SUV, Booth grabbed Brennan's hand and tried to contain his excitement. "This changes a lot of things, Bones. We're going to have to convert the guest bedroom into a baby's room. We got time . . . we can do all the work . . . I'm going to have to let Parker know . . . and Pops."

"Booth." Brennan squeezed Booth's hand but didn't stop walking. "I don't want to tell anyone until my second trimester. Maybe week fourteen. I want to make sure the fetus is viable before we tell anyone. Alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Feeling a slight shiver run down his back, Booth cleared his throat. "Our baby is fine, Bones, but yeah, we can wait." _God don't take my baby from us. Please don't do that. Bones needs this. This will help her get over Vincent's death._

She had heard the hesitation in Booth's voice. "Just in case, Booth. Just in case."

"Sure, I get it." Booth spotted his truck, used his remote to unlock the doors then turned to look at Brennan. "We can paint the baby's room a neutral color like yellow. That way we don't have to wait until we find out if it's a boy or a girl. Pops is going to love being a great grandfather again." He held her hand while they crossed the street. Once they were next to the truck, Booth kissed her again. "I'm the happiest guy around, Bones. You've made me very happy."

"I'm glad, Booth." Brennan smiled. "I'm happy too."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. I appreciate it.


	86. Chapter 86

(After 'The Change in the Game')

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Though Brennan and Booth hadn't told anyone their good news yet, there were some who were picking up an odd vibe from Booth. Harris had noticed that Booth couldn't seem to stop smiling and that was not normal by any stretch of the imagination. While he was in his office, the man was stern if not humorless. He took his job seriously and he expected everyone that worked for him to do the same.

While getting a cup of coffee from the break room, Harris found Booth there looking at the contents of the vending machine. Making a selection, Booth placed his money in the machine. When the bag of Doritos became stuck and refused to budge from its hanging position, the agent shrugged his shoulders and purchased a bag of Fritos instead. Dismayed, Harris watched his friend leave the room and head back to his office.

After Harris pounded on the machine and then shook it, the Doritos dropped, he retrieved the bag and left the break room with a cup of coffee. The bullpen was empty except for Lester who was looking over a case file that Harris had just closed. Determined to find out what was going on, Harris entered Booth's office, closed the door behind him then launched the bag of Doritos onto Booth's desk. "Alright, what's going on?"

Surprised, Booth picked up the bag and placed it in a desk drawer before looking at Harris. "What do you mean?" Wary of his friend, Booth opened his bag of Fritos and popped a couple in his mouth.

Determined to get to the bottom of what was going on, Harris sat down on the chair in front of Booth's desk and placed his cup of coffee on the edge of the desk. "You didn't beat the hell out of the machine to get your chips. You didn't insult the machine you just bought a bag of Fritos. What's going on?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth reached for his cup of coffee and sipped some of the drink before placing the cup back down. "Nothing's going on."

"Bullshit." Harris wasn't leaving until he found out why Booth was so cheerful. "You're normally incapable of leaving a bag of chips just dangling after you paid for them. No way and yet you did just that a few minutes ago. Are you sick? Well you're smiling too much so that's not it. Did you get a raise or a promotion I don't know about?"

Irritated, Booth's smile faded away. "I'm not smiling too much. What's wrong with you? Can't a guy be happy around here? I'm just happy. No promotion and no raise. I'm just my normal happy self."

His eyes hooded, Harris stared at Booth for a few minutes and finally shook his head. "I'm going to figure it out so you might as well tell me."

"I'm happy, that's what's going on." Pointing at the bullpen, Booth tried to get his friend to leave and spied Sweets heading towards his office. "Shit! Don't say anything about me being happy. Sweets will try to shrink me and I'm not in the mood."

Since Sweets' attitude would just make Booth more secretive, Harris nodded his head and waited to see what the psychologist wanted.

He immediately noticed that Booth wasn't alone, but Sweets decided that the agent might be more open in front of his friend when they talked. "Booth, hey, I thought I'd check in and see how you're doing."

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Wary of his young friend, Booth popped more Fritos in his mouth and chewed them slowly, his eyes on the younger man.

"Um, well, you and Dr. Brennan had a rough time recently when Mr. Nigel-Murray was killed." Sweets sat on the chair by the door and tried to look relaxed. "We all know that bullet was meant for you. Then you had to arrest your former comrade in arms, Jacob Brodsky. He shot one of your agents while you were trying to arrest him. It's a lot to deal with."

He knew Sweets meant well, but Booth hated to be psychoanalyzed. He didn't like it at all. "The bullet may have been for me, but it didn't hit me. It's not like I haven't been targeted before. Hell, I have scars that say otherwise. As for Brodsky being my friend, that ended when he started murdering people and trying to kill me was the final straw when it came to our friendship. If you'll turn around, you'll see that Lester is fine. I don't have any issues with the things that happened. I'm fine and so is Bones."

"Uh huh, I heard that Dr. Brennan went to the intern's funeral and she seemed depressed when she got back." Sweets could see the anger building in Booth, but he plowed ahead anyway. "If she needs to talk to someone, I'm available or we can have a little group session with you or not . . . maybe the people at the Lab would like a session since Mr. Nigel-Murray was killed in the middle of the Lab. Either way, I'm here to help."

His first inclination was to tell Sweets off, but he knew the boy really did want to help and that was a good thing, wasn't it? "Look, Bones is fine now. She took it hard, but she's moved on . . . you might want to tell Daisy to stop gossiping about Bones. If she finds out about it, I'm pretty sure Daisy won't like what happens next."

"Daisy didn't tell me anything." He saw the look of disbelief on Booth's face and he knew he'd made a mistake talking about Brennan's depression. "She's just worried about Dr. Brennan. You know that Daisy really admires her and wants what's best for her . . . but I'll tell her what you said." Standing Sweets smiled at the agent. "The offer is sincere Booth. If you or Dr. Brennan need to talk about anything let me know. I'm here for you and for her."

"Thanks, but we don't need any shrinky help. We're good. We're better than good." Booth saw the look of curiosity on Sweets' face and he knew he'd said too much. "Bye, Sweets."

Once the younger man was gone, Harris smiled at his friend. "Now I know something's up. You didn't even try to rip him a new one or throw him out of here. Something is up and I'm going to find out what it is."

"Don't you have work to do? I can find something for you to do if you don't have anything." His irritation back, Booth frowned at his friend. "I'm happy because things have calmed down. Brodsky is in prison and I don't have to worry about him anymore. Life is good now and I have a right to be happy, don't I?"

"You do." Harris stood up and walked over to the door. "I'm glad you're happy Booth. Whatever is making you happy, I hope it lasts."

His smile back, Booth pulled a few Fritos from the bag. "Thanks, now stop bugging me." Popping the chips into his mouth, he watched Harris leave the office. Once he was alone, Booth set the bag down and sipped some of his coffee. "There are too many nosy people around here. That's for damn sure."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A case cropped up and Booth jumped at the chance to take it. Once he and Brennan were in the SUV, he headed for the crime scene. "Harris has been bugging me because he thinks I'm too happy. What kind of deal is that? I'm always happy."

Amused, Brennan turned to look at her mate. "You don't usually smile at work, at least not too much. You always tell me that murder is serious business and you don't like anyone laughing or joking around at crime scenes."

"It is serious business, but I was smiling in my office." Booth shook his head. "You still don't want to tell anyone for three months?" He didn't think they could hide her pregnancy that long. "I really think we should tell Pops before that. He won't appreciate the secret. He might feel hurt."

"Well, we can tell Hank, but no one else." Brennan decided to change the subject. "So, the Cumberland County Sheriff said he thought it was an escaped prisoner from Piedmont Regional Jail?"

After passing a slow moving travel trailer, Booth answered. "Yeah, they keep some Federal prisoners there. It's a minimum to high security prison. Eric Sanders escaped last Wednesday and his body was found today. He's been missing for about six days and a birdwatcher found the body this morning. Sanders didn't make it very far. His body was found northwest of the jail in some woods. We're supposed to meet the Sheriff at the junction of 668 and 637 and he'll take us to the body."

"Alright." Brennan lifted a folder from the console and flipped it open. "I see he was in prison for kidnapping a young boy . . . The boy was the son of a cousin. He claimed the boy was being abused, but the boy denied it and so did the rest of the family . . . He's been a model prisoner. He was serving a 17 year prison sentence. Did the Sheriff say how he escaped.?"

"Nah, the warden didn't tell him. He might not know yet, although they better find out before someone else uses the same method." Booth passed a tractor hauling a wagon filled with hay. "Since he's a federal prisoner, Sheriff White decided to give the case to us. At least it's not raining."

He decided to tell her about Sweets. "Sweets wants to have a session with you or us, if you want it."

"No . . . why?" The last thing Brennan wanted was for Sweets to get her in a room and interrogate her about her feelings.

"He's worried that you might be depressed or something." Booth saw the frown and he knew she wouldn't go unless forced to and he wasn't going to do that. "I told him no. I think you're doing okay . . . we're doing okay."

The folder back in the console, Brennan watched the scenery from the passenger window. "I was sad about Vincent's death, I still am, but I have moved on. Life must move forward. We're going to have a baby and I must dwell upon the positive things that are about to happen, not the bad things that have happened in the past."

"I'm with you, Bones. The past is the past." Booth hated to think about the past. He believed it was better to live in the moment and not let the bad things done in the past ruin the present or the future. "You know you can always talk to me. I'm a pretty good listener."

"And you can talk to me too." Brennan thought they were fine and they didn't need to be poked and prodded by a psychologist. "I am fine Booth."

Booth could see that and was grateful that Brennan was so resilient. "Yeah, you are fine, Bones."

Oooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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